Epsilon
by crystal-of-D.A.-11
Summary: WARNING: Totally weird crossover. Click here for a totally weird fanfic. Jay, Leo and Holly - mortal or not? Well, no matter the answer, it's up to them to save the universe from the Untold Forces' chosen goddess or god.
1. Prologue

**Yo. I have it. I just felt like doing this. Please forgive me.**

 **Prologue**

'Firestar?' A slender, worn-out body shouldered its way to peek through a rusty red-wood iron-hinged doorway.

'Leafpool?' The gruff old man sitting at an ornate Tartarus-dark polished desk looked up from what he was writing. His red beard hung down in an uncombed tangle, and he was wearing a tatty forest-green and beechwood-brown uniform with a golden sash running down. Encrusted in it was a shining deep green sphere, cut in half so one side was flat against the Imperial Gold.

'My leader,' the figure in the doorway trembled, 'I fear my inner Oracle is weakening.'

The red-bearded man put his griffin-feather quill pen down and brought his hands together. His face was wrinkled and worried, hardened with experience and age, and his eyes told stories of the wars he had seen. 'It is what I suspected, Leafpool,' he sighed. 'With every hour, the untold force is growing stronger, and it is not long before they have found what they want.'

'Do you think it is true then sir?' The figure stepped forward, her chestnut-plain locks tumbling in ringlets on her shoulders. 'That the untold forces are targeting an Olympian to bring to the Dark Side?'

The man at the desk sighed again. 'I fear so, my dearest daughter. Though which Olympian it is I cannot say.' He stood up, running his hands against the edgeline of his desk. 'But what can we do? I think that the worse has come. Hope is running out.' He stroked his chin thoughtfully, frowning. 'But come, how are you then, Leafpool?'

'Feeling tired, sir,' she replied. 'I have not been Oracle of ThunderSide for very long. The previous one, Cinderpelt, taught me much on life, wounds, prophecies, and knowledge.' She looked down, sad at the painful memory of her mentor. 'But now I have no apprentice, there is no-one to succeed me. Not to question your intelligence, my leader, but are you sure no apprentice, nor demi-godling, wants to become Oracle?'

The man, Firestar, shook his head. 'Not one.' he replied. 'And we know we cannot force one - being Oracle comes only from the heart.' But then he shook himself. 'Not that I think you shall die, Leafpool,' he said quickly.

Leafpool was troubled. 'But my health is not good - I do my hardest, Firestar, my noble leader, I thrive to not only keep ThunderSide in good health but to keep the universe in place too - yet I fear it is not enough. I am getting visions more and more frequently, all short, dark, ominous and unexplainable. I had one only this morning,' she explained solemnly.

'Did you make anything out of it?' Firestar enquired.

Leafpool sighed. 'As usual, no.'

'Then,' Firestar walked up to his daughter and put his arm around her, 'get some rest. You need it.' Leafpool nodded, and turned to walk out the door. She was just about to do so when she remembered something.

'There is more, Father,' she said. 'Squirrelflight's demi-godlings have come.'

'Great StarClan of the Underworld!' Firestar gasped. 'My daughter has had children! Leafpool, is she well? Did it go according to plan? Does Brambleclaw know? Is she ready to see me yet?'

Leafpool dipped her head respectfully. 'All is well, sir,' she answered, trying to be calm. Instead she twirled her hair worriedly and tried not to meet her leader's gaze. 'Squirrelflight has given birth to three triplets, one girl and two boys. She is very healthy, and is resting in my patient-room upstairs. All her children are healthy, and Brambleclaw is with her. You may see her tomorrow.' She then looked down sheepishly, and shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. Most of that was true. At least the most important parts.

'Oh Lord Zeus,' Firestar inhaled, oblivious to Leafpool's awkwardness. 'My daughter is a mother! I have three grandchildren. And triplets too! It must be a genetic thing, since you and Squirrelflight are twins.' He twiddled his beard thoughtfully for a while.

'Well,' he said at last, breaking the silence, 'you may rest for now, Leafpool. I will resume my writing,' and, heaving down onto his chair again, he dipped his quill in a silver-lined pot of black ink and began to record some information on a piece of parchment.

Leafpool stared around the room, wrapping a ringlet of hair around her finger absent-mindedly. The room was small, rectangular, and cosy. Old-fashioned red-and-gold wallpaper was spread onto the walls. On one side, against a wall, Firestar's grand Darkpine-wood desk stood, ornate carvings of mystical creatures engraved on its sides: Fayries, rumbling griffins, flaming birds and starry-eyed naiads. It also depicted carvings of heroes: Big, strong men facing a squealing seven-headed Hydra, eagles that soared with the power if lightning, fiercely battling against brave and courageous princes, looming Minotaurs and a shrieking snake-haired woman. The desk accumulated several drawers, three on each side, all filled with Firestar's scrolls, letters, quill sets, weapons, possessions and bric-a-bracs. On the desk stood a half-melted wax candle on a celestial bronze candle-holder. A bright flame sparked on it, eerily illuminating the desk. Next to it, perched, was a photograph of Firestar, hugging a blonde woman. A skipping little red-haired six-year-old jumping up next to the woman excitedly, and next to her was a contrastingly calm brunette. Leafpool looked at it, a tear welling in her eye. That was her family. The blonde woman was Sandstorm, their mother. They were all so... carefree. Soon, if no-one stopped them, the untold forces would succeed - and when that happened, all she had ever known would be destroyed.

On the other side was an ink pot, gleaming with the light of the candle. A pile if scrolls was heaped up daintily next to that, each tied with a crimson-red ribbon. An ancient bronze ring with a shimmering emerald was poised. The see-ring. Her connection with the leader. She had the exact-same one a perfect copy, stored safely in her shack. If Firestar needed to contact her quickly or vice-versa, this was the gadget used. Unfortunately, its power had faded recently. Now it was no more than a piece of rusty jewellery. The Hephaestus demi-gods had examined it and tried countless times to fix it, but they claimed it was impossible.

Leafpool felt herself glaring in the dim candlelight. How did everyone think they would defeat the untold forces if they claimed littler things such as that were impossible? All right, maybe this strange malfunction was somehow connected to the untold forces, but if it was, it certainly wasn't a very good start to defeating them.

Except for for the piece of yellowed parchment Firestar was writing on, there were only two more items left on the desk: One was a tele-mike, a microphone that Firestar could switch on if he wanted to spread an audio-message throughout the camp quickly, and the other was in-camp personal communicator, if he wanted to check up on a training session from his office, although he often did it in person. Usually, Firestar didn't spend much time in his office, and mostly strolled outside catching up on news and talking to satyrs, but since the untold forces had begun to rise he was spending more and more time shut up in his office alone.

On the walls, fayrie-oakwood shelves stretched, filled with the most astonishing collection of books, scrolls, letters, references, files, encyclopaedias, and recordings of the past. In the corner of the room a computer was switched off on a sprucey-desktop. Its pitch-black screen stared back at Leafpool. The computer was for updates and references on the mortal world, and very rarely mortal communication. It was not used very often though, and Firestar often had trouble figuring out how the battery plug worked.

In front of the opposing wall, a marble bust of a square-faced man with a wreath on his head stood. A bronze plaque hung underneath, which read:

ALL PRAISES TO LORD ZEUS

GOD OF THE SKY, LIGHTNING, STORMS, AND THE UNIVERSE

KING OF OLYMPUS

BELOVED HUSBAND OF HERA

AND RULER OF THE UNIVERSE

The bust reminded Leafpool of Thornclaw, one of the demi-gods of ThunderSide. The warrior certainly looked a lot like his father, with the same square chin, heavy eyebrows, and look of determined attitude.

Last of all, at the back of the room, lay crackling dusty fireplace. The mantelpiece was decorated with several small glass bottles, each with a label. Some were half-filled with strange-coloured liquids, and some were empty. A small branch of mistletoe was placed in the the mantelpiece, a square window had its curtains drawn shut.

Under the mantelpiece, a fire roared on a pile of thick logs. Leafpool stared into its blazing depths. Her eyes shone of war; pain, glazed all over there, the flames lunging.

She brought herself to say the last thing.

'One of them is blind.'

Firestar turned to look at her. 'What on Olympus do you mean Leafpool?'

'One of the demi-godlings.'

Firestar's eyes stretched wide as the truth dawned on him.

'Then perhaps they will never be a hero,' he sighed grimly.

Leafpool felt a strange sensation pulling her into the centre of the room. 'He is the smallest one, the blue-eyed one.'

As her mouth closed up over the last word, Leafpool felt smoke filling her lungs. Darkness clouded over, and ominous sounds of wails rang in her ears. Her bones went stiff. Everything clouded over. Her memories were blotted out from her mind, as she plunged into a vision.

Her jaw dropped open and green smoke poured out. Her eyes turned a frightful mix of bloody red and snake-green, sinking into her face, grey rings darkening under them.

' _There will be three,_

 _Blood of your Blood,_

 _Who hold the power of the stars in their hands._ '

The words spiralled out of Leafpool's mouth in a hoarse, rasping voice. The letters spun out, jumbling and leaping, to form the sentence that shone golden in the air. Her pupils narrowed. Her face was contorted into an expression of pain. Her head rolled. And then - it stopped.

The red and green Leafpool's eyes faded, and the scaly rasping cells of her skin went just as quickly as they came. Sight flooded into her eyes. The golden words etched into the air crumbled to nothing more than dust. She could think properly again - although she had no memory of what had just happened.

'Blood of my blood,' Firestar echoed like a ghost.

Leafpool stared around the room. 'What just happened?' she asked.

'You went into a vision,' Firestar murmured. 'An incredibly powerful one, if you can't remember what happened. You said something - a prophecy.'

'What did I say?' Leafpool trembled, her heart pounding.

'There will be three, blood of your blood, who hold the power of the stars in their hands,' Firestar repeated the words. 'What does it mean?'

A faint probability crept into Leafpool's mind. 'Do you think-' she began.

'LEAFPOOL!' a shriek sounded from the room above. 'LEAFPOOL!'

'Squirrelflight?' Leafpool shouted to the ceiling, panicked.

'LEAFPOOL!' Squirrelflight screamed. 'IT'S THE DEMI-GODLINGS! THEY'RE _GONE_!'

 **Ha ha, so that was it, ladies and gents. Or the prologue at least. I'm sure you've guessed that the three demi-godlings are the three in the prophecy.**

 **Stay tuned!**

 **-Crystal**

 **:)**


	2. Chapter One: Jay, Leo, Holly - Mortal?

**Chapter One! At last. I'm on a roll with this, lasses.**

 **Chapter One**

'Wake up Jay-Jay,' Jay was woken up by the soft voice of his sister. A bright beam of sunlight fell on him as the bedroom curtains were drawn open, the golden rays streaming in. Holly gently rubbed her hand against his affectionately. 'It's time to go to the station.'

Jay reluctantly opened one eye. Not that it made much of a difference anyway - he'd been born blind. Never in his life had he had the pleasure of being able to see his mother's soft loving face, or his brother' striking similarity with his father. Never had he known what he and his sister's 'raven-black hair' was. Or when his mother said his blind eyes were 'jay-blue'. That was where he had gotten his name from anyway - something he would never know. The colour of some bird. Being blind sucked. A lot.

'What time is it?' he grumbled, kicking his bedsheets off.

'Quarter-to eight,' his sister Holly replied. 'Sleeping late,as usual, Jay. Come on, Mum's calling us for breakfast!'

'I thought the train only left at ten,' Jay mumbled, getting up and starting to haul his PJ top off.

'And do you suppose your brother is going to get packed in only 30 minutes or something? Hurry up silly!' Holly replied, shoving her last items inside her neat, leather-rimmed suitcase. Of course Holly had been all organised last night. Holly was always organised.

In the taxi that was driving the two of them, their brother and their mum, everyone was mostly silent. The four pondered their thoughts soundlessly as the rumble of the engine through the streets sounded on.

Jay thought about how much he was going to miss his parents as he went to Westchester East Hills High. He would miss his mum, that was for sure, and maybe his dad, although Dennis Jennon-Lee was mostly abroad at work. He worked in a cargo department, so he was always busy. Jay's mum was also a newspaper reporter for the Tatleson Tattler. She had always been very protective of Jay and his siblings, especially him. He would miss her fussing.

Jay sighed. He didn't want to go a snooty boarding school called Westchester East Hills High, but it was the only secondary school who accepted blind kids like him. He was probably going to be the only blind one there. How rare was it to be born like that? And of course, Jay had just been unlucky. As usual.

Thankfully Holly and Leo, his brother, had decided to go too, for the sake of being with him, but Jay sensed the semester over there wasn't going to be much fun. All the kids sounded like they were stuck-up, and at the open day the teachers had only bragged about how they were the 'best of the best' and about their 'amazing facilities'.

Yeah. This semester was going to be fun.

After the taxi dropped the four of them off at the Train Station, it was already the rush hour. Jay sensed his family and so followed them through a towering red-brick arch into the jam-packed array of platforms. People in formal coats and clutching briefcases were everywhere, infesting every corner. Station Masters blew their whistle and signalled to crowds of people where they were to go, and schoolchildren pushed through the flurry of traffic hurriedly. Bells and sirens rang, and billowing steam wafted through the gaps in the crowds. Hoots and rumbles of the train sounded everywhere, and thundering echoes of them whizzing through dark tunnels. Jay had never heard so much people in his life. Being blind had never really bothered him even when he was in crowds, but all the people... It would be easy for a skinny thirteen-year-old boy who couldn't even see to get lost, or kidnapped, or on the wrong train. He felt daunted.

'It's okay,' Jay felt the whispering voice of Holly in his ear as she clutched his hand and squeezed it. 'You're safe with us.' Although Jay didn't normally like it when people treated him extra-carefully because of his blindness, this time he felt comforted to have his sister next to him.

'Now,' his mum stopped briskly and got out her list. 'Leo, do you have your soccer kit?'

'Yup,' their brother Leo replied, clutching his navy-blue sports bag in one hand.

'Check,' their mum nodded, ticking something off the list. 'Holly, do you have your recorder?'

'Check,' Holly uttered without blinking. Jay fought back the urge to snort. The was no need to ask his sister if she had or hadn't got anything - Holly Jennon-Lee was always perfectly prepared and packed.

'Jay - your trunk?'

'Yes,' Jay answered gruffly. He didn't want anyone to know that he was having trouble carrying it.

His mother nodded briskly, and flicked over to another page in her leather-cased notebook. 'Holly, I presume you have your trunk?'

'Check,' his sister echoed like a robot.

'And Leo, I'm hoping you've got yours,' his mum finished. But there was no answer.

'Leo?' Jay heard his sister ask, panicking. 'He's gone! Jay, can you see him?'

Jay turned to face his sister. His ice-blue eyes glared at her.

'Oh - sorry. Never mind. But Leo's not here!'

'Leo?!' his mother shouted over the noise. But even if Leo had been near, it would have been impossible for him to hear his mother over the noise of the crowd.

Fear seized Jay's mother like a wave of spiders. It gripped her and shook her. 'Stay here!' she commanded. Then, without waiting for an answer, she senselessly rushed up the staircase behind them, gripping the banister and charging through the crowds.

'LEO!' Her mousey-brown hair was flung around her neck as she hurtled on, pushing past people.

An iron hand gripped her shoulder. 'No runnin' around 'ese parts 'ere missee,' a tall Station Master in a uniform ordered.

'But my son's gone!' she wailed.

'I promise you, I never saw a young lad walk here without an adult,' the Station Master nodded. 'Ye won't find him here.'

Jay's mother's hand shook as she turned away. 'Leo!' And she charged off down again, not giving a word of thanks to the Station Master.

'Mum!' Jay cried, as his mother ran back to them. She rushed down the staircase, and hurtled across the platform to them 'Calm down. Leo must be here somewhere!' he told her. Somehow, Jay sensed fear rolling off her in waves. He didn't know why he could sometimes feel these emotions coming off people; was it just a family thing?

His mum put her arms around his neck. 'You're right, Jay,' she panted, putting her hand over her heart, 'he must be here somewhere. But I've got to get your tickets stamped. Will you go and look for him?'

Jay and Holly both nodded at once.

'Fantastic. I'll keep your luggage. Sorry dears, it's just I'm a bit flustered with all the crowds and everything,' his mother apologised. 'Go now!' she urged.

Holly gripped Jay's hand. 'Come on, I'll guide you,' she offered.

Jay would normally would have been insulted by this, but the sound of the crowd told him he didn't have a choice. He tried to keep up with his sister as she hauled him through the traffic jams of people by the hand, ducking and darting. Wealthy business people, flustered mothers wheeling trolleys, Station Masters and scrawny schoolchildren were everywhere; Jay felt his hand being pulled towards what should be close to the station's back wall.

'Mary's Tea and Cakes,' Holly read out. 'Jay, so you think he would have gone into one of the tea shops or newsagents?'

'Don't think he would be that silly,' Jay shrugged, 'but we can always try.'

'Leo wouldn't be kidnapped,' Holly told herself firmly. 'He's way too cunning, quick and strong. He must have wandered off on his own according to his own will. That would mean the station shops and restaurants.'

Jay wishes he could be as clever as her. How did Holly do it?

'Unless he went looking for the platform number,' Holly went on, 'but Mum already told us it was Platform Number Seven this morning. And he would be back by now. Although he could have gotten lost; and then where would he be?' Holly finished, as if expecting Jay to answer.

Jay felt his cheeks grow hot. Where would Leo be if he had gotten lost?

'The Train booth of course!' Holly answered, as if it were obvious. 'He would need to ask the Station Keeper for help. Let's head there first!' And without having the time to say anything more, Jay felt his hand being tugged as he plunged into the chaos and havoc once more.

'Sure you didn't see a thirteen-year-old looking boy check in here at all today?Tall, handsome golden hair, brown eyes, wearing an Westchester East Hills High uniform, carrying a trunk and a soccer kit?' Holly asked for the last time at the third and last Station Keeper at Tatleson Station. There was a Station Keeper for every ten platforms, and there were thirty platforms in the station in total. This was the last hope; the two previous one had claimed not to have seen Leo at all.

'I tell you; I never seen him! How many times do I have to repeat it?' the sourly Station Keeper glared at the two children.

'Please sir; he's our brother!' Holly persisted for the last time. Jay didn't know why she hadn't given up yet; Leo obviously hadn't gone to see any of the Station Keepers for help, he was probably in ine of the tea restaurants stuffing his face while they were wasting all this time.

'Kids!' the Station Keeper snorted. 'Now get out, you lot, before I call Security!'

Jay sighed. It seemed as if everybody he met just turned bad-tempered today, or flustered. And Leo? Why did he have to cause them all this trouble? They had already spent seven minutes checking into the Station Offices; if they wasted much more time they would miss the train.

'All right then, all right,' his sister huffed. 'No need to be un _accommodating_ about it!' And they marched out the door.

'We need to check the shops now - I swear, if I find him in one if those eating a classic English scone or a biscuit, or browsing the comic store for the latest issue of X-Men, I will kill him!' Jay complained.

'Come on,' Holly grumbled as they marched to Megan's , both of them cross. 'At least we'll have a good excuse to tell him he can give us half his pocket moneys return - a scam like this is worth $20!'

Jay was guided through the station once more, and soon Holly was pushing open the door of Megan's and stepping up to the bustling queue. She had a good look at the tables.

'Any sign of him here?' Jay wondered.

'Not a trace,' he heard Holly mutter. So they scrambled out of the shop, hastily pushing past a grumpy-looking elderly man. They took off to the next shop, WHSmith.

'I doubt whether he's in here - unless it's for the Multeesers,' Jay voiced his thoughts out loud.

His sister shook her head. 'He's not. We need to check the next shop.'

So they rushed from WHSmith to Carlton Cafe, and from that to Komix4U, and from that to Mary's Tea and Cakes. They passed and explored a Tesco, a Carluccios, a Waterstones, a Riggi's Num-Num's, a Clare's English Breakfast, a Cancer US, a Paperchase, a Valentine's Gift Restaurant, a newsagents, a Tea at Three!, and a Sweet Emporium. There was only one last shop they hadn't checked - the one right at the end, with barren broken-down crumbling brick walls and cobwebs littering outside it.

'Rat's Tea,' Holly read out. Jay could tell from the slight faltering of her voices hen she said 'tea' that the 'e' in it had fallen off the sign.

'Uh,' Holly was disgusted, 'I hope we don't have to go in there!'

'We have to,' Jay reminded her. 'Just quickly checking whether Leo's in there or not.'

They walked up to the greasy windows, Jay pressing his ear up close to hear what was going on inside and Holly trying to see into it, Jay muttering how silly Leo was if he was in this awful place after all.

'The windows are all grimy and dust is everywhere,' Holly informed him. 'There's big brick counter with a rack of greasy drinking glasses, and a row of champagne bottles. Spiderwebs are everywhere, and they have a few posters advertising their frappuccinos and biscuits. It doesn't look like the place sells much more than that, and it reeks of dead rodents,' Holly informed him.

'I can already tell what it smells like!' Jay snapped.

Jay felt the sensation of Holly boiling up next to him. 'You don't have to be so rude, Jay! I know you can smell it, I'm just pointing it out! I'm the only one here who actually tries to keep the family in one piece! Leo decides to suddenly disappear to annoy us, Mum's going crazy, the Station Keepers don't care, and now you!' she spat furiously.

Jay immediately felt sorry he had been so harsh on her. She was right, after all... she was the only one who really tried in the family. His mother loved them but was useless in urgent situations, his father was away 24/7 of the time, Leo cared for no-one but himself usually, and he... He was always grumpy. Moody. Because if his blindness. But it wasn't even anyone else's fault that he had been born sightless.

'I'm sorry, Holly,' he whispered as his hand clasped around her. 'You're right. We need to find Leo together. I'm sorry I was so snappy, it's just - well, I broke down. Let's go into Rat's Tea together.'

Holly immediately squeezed his hand back. 'Thanks, Jay,' she murmured, her face close to his, 'I'm sorry I got so emotional.' And without another word, Holly cautiously peeked open the door to the shop, which had been left slightly ajar. As the two stepped in, the scents of powder and dust rose up and wafted into Jay's nose. He sneezed.

And then, he heard the surprised cry of 'Leo!' coming from Holly.

'Leo?' he echoed, his heart beating fast.

There was no answer.

'Leo, are you okay?' Holly enquired. If Jay could see, he could have seen that Leo's eyes were fixed and glazed, still in shock. Tension buzzed around him.

'Leo!'

Then, suddenly, a Leo snapped out if his trance. 'Whoaaah,' he gasped. 'Holy jello-beans!' His head swung round to face his siblings. 'Holly? Jay?'

'Leo!' Jay burst out. He should have been happy that he had finally found his brother, but instead he felt angry and furious. Leo had been gone for ages! He and Holly had spent twenty-five minutes looking for him, scared to death! And where had he been? In a dirty cafe, chatting at a table, after ditching his mother and his siblings just when they were about to board the train to Westchester East Hill High, their new boarding school!

'What are you doing here?!' he fumed. 'We practically thought you were dead! We spent ages looking for you, and we're probably going to miss the train!'

Jay sensed Leo blinking, trying to rule out some emotions of fear and surprise. 'I- err-' he began, open-mouthed.

'You what?' Holly glared.

'I- I saw this strange-looking lady, so I followed her here...' his voice trailed off.

Jay could barely contain his anger. 'That's a pathetic excuse!' he shouted furiously. 'What did you think you were doing, wandering off like that, just when we were about to board, following this innocent woman!'

There was a *click!* sound! as the back door opened and a bony-looking man stepped into the café behind the counter. He spotted Leo.

'Anything I can do for you, young man?' he enquired, slumping his elbow on the brick counter. His gaze drifted to Jay and Holly. 'Or you?' he nodded at Jay, 'or the lady,' he waggled his eyebrows flirtingly.

'No thanks!' Holly was disgusted. 'We'll be off right now!'

And with that, the three of them left.


	3. Chapter Two: Train Journey, Is It Safe?

**I'm back, for the first time in foreeeever! Wait, that's not supposed to be Frozen. Never mind. Leo's POV!**

Chapter Two

Lionblaze felt fury boiling up inside of him as his siblings dragged him towards the ticket booth, where their mother was waiting. How dare they grab hold of him like that and order him out? How dare they to refuse to believe him as soon as he opened his mouth? Of course he wasn't lying! Why would he just suddenly decide to go wandering off in a crowded station to the greasiest, slimiest, stinking-est shop right at the end? No, of course he had a logical explanation. There was no reason for Jay to call it a "pathetic excuse"! And who did Holly think she was, lecturing him like that? He had been, after all, going to that shop and leaving them all there for a reason...

"Oh my - Leo!" His mother swung her head round, spotted him and charged towards him, her mousey hair flying out like ribbons. Before Leo could move, she had wrapped him in the tightest hug he had ever felt.

"Mu-um!" he protested, choking, as her arms dug into his sides, pressing into his ribs and squeezing all the air out of him. "No need to make a show!" he hissed, his cheeks turning pink.

His mother let go of him immediately. She put her hands to her hips, glaring at him through narrow eye slits.

"And," she sniffed, her gaze still fixed intently on him, '-what on Earth did you think, Leo, running off like that and leaving us all alone?!'

Leo once again felt his cheeks grow hot as they turned into a rather unattractive shade of crimson-scarlet.

'I was only- I mean, I wanted to have a look at something and kinda lost track of time.' Leo bit his tongue afterwards - he had just lied. But how could he tell? How would anyone believe him in the first place if he said the truth?

His mothers' gaze softened. The pink rosiness flooded back to her cheeks, and she couldn't stop herself from smiling.

'Oh Leo,' she breathed, wrapping him in a hug once more, 'I'm just so glad to have you back and know you're safe."

As she hugged him the warmth from her body wrapped around him, soaking his skin and engulfing him in sorrow. For the first time, he felt a pang of heavy grief for the fact that he would not be seeing his parents for the next three months. Tears welled at the tips of his eyes, prickling, but he firmly pushed them back, even though sadness still swallowed him, into a deep, dark, pit. He would miss his mother, her warm hugs and loving care. And her apple pie.

"Hurry up!"

Leo was distracted by Holly's impatient snap. She was still heavily annoyed with him for leaving them. The memory of what he had seen caught him into a trance for a split second; there was something strange, something eerie about that old woman he had seen. Something...not normal. No matter how much he reassured himself, Leo could not shake of the feeling that something...interesting was going to happen on this train journey.

Fingering the handle for his trunk, he stepped away from his mother and picked up his and his siblings' suitcases and backpacks. It wasn't a problem for him. He never really wondered why he was so incredibly strong. Sure, he was sporty, but he was still a skinny thirteen year-old.

"Of course," his mother sighed and handed their tickets to Holly. "Here you go. Good luck. I will miss you all, you know. Don't lose your belongings. Write every week-"

"There's such thing as Skype, Mum!"

"and be safe. And enjoy yourself."

Pecking them all with one last kiss, Leo felt warm affection burning into his skin. He and his siblings were very close to their mother.

Suddenly, there was a mighty hoot, and a blaring screen of billowing smoke, that tickled his eyes and wafted up his nose. "All aboard for the Westchester Hills High Express! Last round for passengers to bored!" a tubby Station Master shouted.

No more was said. Casting one last look at his mother, Leo, and Jay and Holly, rushed onto the platform and swung into the train wagon just a split second before the sleek red door slid into place. They didn't look back even once.

The rock and clatter of the train skimming over the rickety iron rails rang in Leo's ears along with the mighty blare of the train's horn. Smoke poured out if the funnel and streamed like a ribbon beside the windows, wrapping the train in a puffy sheet of grey. He amost stumbled as he dragged the luggage he was holding and thrust it onto the shaking metal racks at the front of the carriage.

Jay had his arms crossed moodily, a stubborn grumpiness shadowed plainly in his blind blue eyes as the train thundered on the track and whizzed out of the crumbly brick station. Holly just sighed. An air of disappointment and caged sorrow hung in the atmosphere, as if each of the three of them felt a heavy weight inside them, swelling continuously, but they all kept it firmly shut inside of them even though it felt as if it would finally explode. The steady clanking of the swinging carriage doors thrummed repetitively, with the gentle hubbub of awkward conversation inside of the walled sections. It seemed as if no one on the whole train was enjoying the ride.

The corridor was plain and simple, with a thick sheet of prickly, fresh modern carpet laid out across the floor. It was a smoky grey colour, and like most modern carpets, smelled terrible, sending small particles of stuffy dust tickling Leo's nose. The thin metal walls were painted a simple red, stretching into the high arcing ceiling. All along the wall, swinging sliding door to carriages were clammed shut, filled with either stuck-up or terrified children in the same identical itchy uniform. The corridor was a dozen metres long, with a windowless door leading to the next wagon. In the middle of the corridor stood a plain oak table filled with a lazy basket of orange juice cartons and a biscuit brand that was so fancy that Leo had never even heard of it. An expensive-looking ornate Chinese vase waserched in the center of the table, its fine blue-and-white surface glinting in the light.

Leo's mind strayed to the old woman he had seen. While his mother had been ranting on about luggage checks, he had spotted out of the corner of his eyes an old lady, dressed in dark clothes, a robe-ish sort of skirt that trailed behind, a hood that hung over her head thickly, and a veil that hung over her eyes. Her hands were frail and damaged, with warts, as she held a rickety dark-wood cane to walk, as she unsteadily lumbered towards the end of the station. Leo, right now, wasn't exactly sure why he had followed her. There had just been something, just something, that had made him want to do it. Just something uneasy about her.

Leo remembered his mind pricking with curiosity. Promising himself that he would be back soon, he quietly slipped away to mingle with the crowds.

The old woman had begun to move at a surprisingly fast pace. Hopping forward with her cane, her limp disappeared, she hobbled faster and faster until Leo found it hard to tail her. Eventually, he had followed her too the dingy old restaurant known as Rat's Tea or whatever.

The bar had been empty. The old woman slipped behind the counter and removed her veil, to reveal a shrivelled, sunken, distorted face peppered with warts, and one, lone, tooth, jutting out of her gum at an angle. She had begun to rummage through old labels and empty bottle, scanning through dusty racks of drinks. Leo had thought he should alert the shop's owner, only he had know idea were she or he was. It was then that the lady, after some distinctive sniffing, had taken out a bottle filled with a greasy, bubbling liquid that had made Leo's tummy feel queasy. She had raised it to her lips to drink.

"Stop!" Leo had shouted, only to see the woman's head whip around, to glare at him, with her, bulging, rolling eyes.

It was then that the memory turned fuzzy. She had spat something before him, muttering about some curse, and...vanished. Leaving him alone and distraught.

Then his siblings had found him. Then off he went.

Leo sighed. Nervosity and fear prickled him. It was going to be a long, tough term.

Suddenly a carriage door on the right swung open with a mighty clang and an impatient-looking frizzy red-haired girl, with a pale skintone and angry hazel eyes marched out into the corridor, stomping her feet. Looking closer, Leo realised that her face was peppered with small hollow spots, as if she ate too much chocolate. (If there is such a thing as eating too much chocolate.)

She stuck her nose in in the air. "Service!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs. "Service!" No-one came. The girl's frail skinny face crumpled into an articulate array of sharp features, the cheeks boiling with rage. "Service! I'm hungry! Give me some snacks RIGHT NOW!"

Holly winced and Jay glared at the newcomer, in anger and surprise. Leo hissed, "Be quiet, for goodness sake, would you?! You'll cause a train wreck at this rate!"

The girl turned to face him, crossing her arms and pouting her pink lips. "Mind your own stinking business!" she snorted angrily.

As she said this, she became aware that Jay's sightless eyes were not moving, and the pupils were unusually narrow. Leo knew that Jay couldn't move them, since he was blind. But he understood that to most people who didn't know this, it might come across as eerie or rude.

"Stop staring at me, boy!" she snapped. "Why are your eyes so ugly? It's rude! Eeeeewww, so creepy!"

Jay immediately snapped into his most violent temper. "You mind your own business!" he hissed, seething. Holly tried to hold him back, in vain, but her green eyes too were narrow slits, glaring at the girl.

"Omigosh! Eew, like, he's not even blinking! That is so disgusting!"

"You leave him alone! He can't help that, you know!" Leo bellowed.

"Why's that? Because he's too dumb to be normal?!"

Holly curled her fists protectively. "He's blind," she whispered, as quietly as she could.

Jay's sharp ears, unfortunately picked that up. "You didn't have to tell her, Holly!"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Holly retorted.

The girl's eyes widened and she stepped away dramatically in disgust. "Of course it is! Blind, like, real blind! Eeeww, that is so gross! Get away from me, you FREAK!" Then, in a red haze of frizzy hair, she ran back to her carriage and slammed the door.

The three siblings were left in an ugly, shocked silence. It was plain and clear on their faces that although they had been anticipating a few arrogant pupils at Westchester Hills High, they hadn't expected this level of rudeness. Jay was left shaking. Holly looked as if she was about to explode. Leo watched them both sadly.

They stared at the spot where the girl had disappeared inside her carriage, in a sad, silent unison. An eerie emptyness left the space around them hollow. Leo was paralysed. They were all in a picture, of shock and confusion, frozen into the knobs of time.

Jay tightened his fists and looked down, closing his eyes. "She called me a freak."

"Jay, she was rude and stuck-up, we know you're not-" Holly began, rushing her words.

Jay balled his fists against the wall and cried out. "She called me a freak!" Then he ran to the next wagon and hurtled through the door, slamming it shut with an unruly *bang!*.

A flame of fury rose up in Leo's chest. He was angry. Angry at the stupid girl. Angry at life. And mostly, angry on his brother Jay's behalf. So what if that idiot thought that Jay wasn't fit to go to this school just because he was born blind? In fact, he wasn't. Jay was too good to go to a school this stuck-up - he deserved better, but his blindness stopped him from being allowed to go to other schools. It wasn't fair. That stupid kid should have known that. And now, he was going to puch her lights out.

Fuming into a blaze of rage, Leo raised his gaze into a boiling glare and marched to the girl's carriage door. He raised a hand to bowl the sliding door open.

Holly's knees were knocking, her fingers were shaking, and her lip was trembling as she burst out, "No! Leo, please don't!" But it was too late. Leo watched her eyes water with years as he grabbed the door handle and thrust it aside. An overwhelming bang echoed in the ears with a shriek, but he ignored it and stepped dangerously strongly into the carriage. There were four children: the red-haired girl, a bulky dark-haired boy with a trace of a moustache, a fair, neutral-tinted boy with a lop of a shaggy blonde fringe screening his forehead, and a tanned, bronze-eyed girl with a long nut-coloured plait running down her back. They all seemed surprised to see Leo, but the most surprised of all was the girl who had argued with him.

He thrust himself forward until he was level with her. "How DARE you INSULT my brother like that," he bellowed, his brown eyes raging red, flaring with smoky tendrils of fire. "HOW DARE YOU!"

She just wrinkled up her nose in disgust and shrugged. "Kids with difficulties don't deserve to get the best of the best. Your stupid brother isn't fit to go here. Blind-ers are losers."

Leo was so angry that he shook with rage. "THEY ARE NOT! YOU'RE THE LOSER! ANYBODY WHI HAS HAD TO FACE DIFFICULTIES LIKE THAT DESERVES MORE RESPECT!" he spat, smashing his fist towards the girl's face. She ducked, narrowly in time. Leo was at his bursting point; full-fury. He hurtled towards there she was, sending his hand crashing through the glass. The other children in the carriage screamed as the window gave way and pieces of glass shot everywhere.

Then, suddenly, the train gave a mighty shriek on its tracks and lurched over. Leo and the others were thrust into the slamming door. A huge rattle sounded overhead, and the train picked up immense speed, feeling as if it was going twenty times faster. It shook again, this time sending them to the other side. They were rattling on at the speed of light. Another jolt, and they were sent flying dangerously to the other side of the carriage. Broken glass pieces flew about. The suitcases about tipped over and fell with a crash. Luggage at the corridor slammed down and the rack wheeled across the corridor. The train rumbled and lurched to the side again, almost toppling over. The sounds of glass and metal falling over on the other aisle told Leo that the train roof was falling in. The train skimmed over a leap in the rails, tottering with a crash and skimming and wobbling amongst the sound of children screaming. The catering tray, which by now was in their wagon, was flung down and was wheeled down the aisle, and sweets and snacks were sent spilling everywhere. A sharp suitcase slammed into the back of the head of one of the girls in the carriage, and Leo watched with horror as sticky blood began to pool behind her. They were tossed violently, as the train, on the brink of derailing, span out of control and object and people were flung everywhere. Blood roared in Leo's ears as the train was flung at full speed into the other direction and he rocketed in full swing into the door.

He knew what was happening.

He was experiencing a train crash.

 **Drama-rama! And yes, that girl was super-duper mean. The one that was evil to Jay. Don't worry, the two won't meet again. And blind people Rock. (Gettit?! Rock?! The other blind cat in warriors?! No? Never mind.)**

 **crystal**

 **:)**

 **P.S. Yes, my puns are terrible.**


	4. Chapter Three: Do Flying Unicorns Exist?

**Wait, DO flying unicorns exist?**

 **Chapter Three - Do Flying Unicorns Exist?**

Holly felt herself being flung down onto the rough spiky train carpet with an alarming crash. The train rocketed into the side, and carriage doors slammed open, their hinges shrieking as fallen luggage and flying metal and glass spun out. Another lurch, and she was thrust back against the wall, her head hitting the hard metal wall. Her skull feeling crushed, blood clotting at the back of her head, the train shrieked to the other side and the aisle table tipped over, and an avalanche of orange juice cartons and biscuits fell on her. The vase fell too, Ming shattering everywhere, smashing onto her body. Her nerves felt on fire, blood roared in her ears, nerves like molten steel, wavering to and fro. She struggled to get up, her skin burning, and the train spun again. She throbbed, staggering; some more children spin out of their carriages, injured and screaming in a frenzy of panic. One boy had his leg bent the wrong way, and another child was knocked unconscious. Holly stumbled as the train gave another stumble, wheeling sharply go the side. A bump in the track made her fly upwards, and she caught sight of the left side of the train; the roof was giving in, crumbling, iron roof shards and broken glass cutting the blood-stained carpet. The children were shrieking at the top of their lungs, and the catering tray fell forward. Holly steadied herself before another sharp lurch; she felt her panic giving in.

"Jay!" she shrieked, her black hair whipping around to her cheek. Her skin burnt with cuts and her head felt droozy and hot, as if it were filled with magma, but she pushed on, being tossed aside by a screaming boy in a uniform.

Suddenly, her brother Leo slammed a carriage door open with a bang, with such strength that it smashed of its hinge. He bolted out as the train gave a jolt. Debris was fallen everywhere. The train was on the brink of derailing, and the roof was falling in. "GET JAY!" he shouted, rushing towards her.

Holly staggered towards the door to the next wagon, dodging a falling roof plate and a flying trunk. The door was swinging open and shut, and Holly felt her blood run cold as she realised that the connection between the two wagons was almost broken.

"It's no use!" she shouted, the waling wind buffeting up the skirt of her uniform, cold air slapping against her face. The short tunnel between the wagons had split apart, leaving only a narrow piece of metal to hold them together as well as a big space of air. "If I jump, I could damage what's holding the wagons together, and the back part of the train could stop and topple over!"

"Climb up on the roof then!" Leo shouted, dodging forward.

Holly felt hopeless. She was useless in situations where she had to do something physical - but if she stood still for too long, what would happen to Jay? He was blind - he would have no idea where the falling debris was, and where he was hitting. He could be injured, or crushed already for all she knew!

It was then that Holly spotted a slender girl weaving her way through the frenzy. She was pale, and pretty, with a plait of shiny golden hair, and her eyes burnt sky blue with determination. Suddenly, a sharp veer in the train's course sent her flying through a window. Glass shattered with a _*slash!*_ , and she fell out, lying sprawled on the neighbouring train track, blood trickling around her in a messy slosh.

"No!" Leo bolted forward, and to Holly's suppressed horror, flung himself through the cracked glass, hurling himself out of the window like a madperson. The moment, in Holly's terrified eyes, seemed to last a full decade, deconstructed into a smooth, daring leap, as he, limbs stretched out, not thinking for even half a second, flung in a perfect arrow through the window in a bold, graceful leap, newfound energy bursting through his legs. His deep brown eyes blared strongly, and Holly cringed and shut her eyes, not wanting to see. He would surely be dead. Knocked out. Blow to the head. Bones smashed. The velocity of the train was too quick to survive. He would be instantly dead. Now she was alone.

Time seemed to freeze as the terrible truth dawned on her. _What's going on?!_ her thoughts screamed. _I'm actually in a train crash. One of my brothers is dead. The other is blind, stuck where I can't see him. Maybe's he's dead too. I don't think I'm going to survive. This is the end. How can this be happening? Why us? What have we done? Is this just a dream?! It can't be true! No, no...yes. No!_

Lifting her hands from her cheeks, and raising her gaze, she ran to the wagon door. Two children were already trying to lift it up, but it was no use. _What are the mathematical chances that I'm in a train crash, AND the escape door is jammed?_

"We need to get into another wagon!" she screamed. "Jay! Leo! Leo, why did you have to leave me..?" she sobbed, a choke caught in her throat. She was going to have to risk it. It was now or never. She hurled herself at the wagon behind, despite the fact that the safety tunnel had been destroyed. Her feet lingered in the air awkwardly for a split second, before clumsily hitting the carpet of the next wagon.

"Jay!" she cried out with relief. He was alone in the crumbling wagon, as all the other children had all escaped messily by the wagon door, thoughtlessly leaving him alone. He was feeling around his strange surroundings, banging into everything and tripping up. They had seconds to escape before the train toppled for good.

"Where's the exit?!" he shouted to himself, fingering everything with panic.

Holly ran to him at the speed of light. So far, he'd been lucky, and nothing had crushed him. She gripped his hand, and guided him to the open door. "Come over, everyone!" she cupped her hand and yelled to the people on the next carriage.

"Not so fast!"

Holly and her brother froze.

"Don't try and escape your destiny, demi-gods. You're coming with us to save the world."

They spun round. Poking his messy blonde hair through a latch in the roof, a fit-looking man stared at them with round expectant blue eyes and a cream-coloured stubble.

Another woman appeared beside him. She had an ornate face, and a pale tone as her shoulder-length light-brown flew in the whipping wind. Holly reeled in surprise, as chilling air streamed in: one half of her face was gone! Just raw, pink flesh and an empty eye socket that geared through her skin, as if she was a strange kind of half-human monster. Her one blinking green eye stared down, boring into Holly's skin with a fierce intensity in the gaze. "Don't stall, Cloudtail," she snapped. Her one eye softened as she looked upon Holly and Jay. "Come on up, you two, you look as if you need a hand."

Holly's heart rushed as blood pounded in her ears. "What about the others?!" she burst out.

"The quicker you hurry up and get out, the quicker Spiderleg will be able to work his magic, and the quicker everyone'll be safe," the blonde man glared crossly, lowering his arm through into the wagon.

"Spider _what_?!" Jay swung his head around to have his face facing up. "What is _that_?!"

" _Who_ , you mean," the woman replied, her tone getting impatient. "Just get out, please. I know it's confusing, but please trust us."

Hollu's heart felt as if it were going to burst out of her chest, as it beat thrashingly, her thoughts whizzing. Going out on the roof of a train with complete strangers? She would rank that as eighty-six on the danger scale, out of one hundred. Going out on the roof of a derailing train with complete strangers? That made the circumstances entirely different. What kind of choice did she have?

"We'll go," she answered, letting Jay hoist himself up first. His entire body was shaking as he struggled through the ceiling latch, hanging on tightly to the stranger's arm. Holly went next, and her fear rushed through her as the blonde's grip tightened on her arms and she felt the rushing outside air hit her skin and chill it to the bone. She shivered as she clambered onto the steel plates messily, the wind raging through her clothes like a sheet of ice. Blood was running through her veins, and her head throbbed with confusion.

"Wow," Jay mutter beside her, "I'm feeling so much adrenalin going through me that I'm actually hearing horses nearby or something. How random."

It was only when Holly raised her gaze that she stifled a gasp. For, before her, on the roof of the train, the two people she had seen were climbing comfortably into a massive gold-and-marble chariot, with another three people flopped on board. And, most importantly of all, the chariot was pulled by four white horses. With wings. She almost collapsed on the spot - wha-, this wasn't on her list of possible things that could happen this term. She hadn't read about winged horses in her science textbook either. Or ever read about them at all. This was not possible. How could they be standing in front of her?

 _I'm going to Heaven_ , she thought, trembling. _Jay and I have died. Bye bye, cruel world._ She would never see another maths textbook again.

"Come on, get in," the driver, a bearded dark-haired man snapped. "Spiderleg, get out and fix the train. Don't forget to stop it so they can collect the ones who went off. And let's get the other boy, the Lion one."

 _Getting into a stranger's chariot pulled by winged horses on the crumbling roof of a derailing train?_ her thoughts thundered, spinning around in a tangled circle. _That's one hundred on the danger scale. No question about it._

"What do we do?" she whispered to Jay, her voice shaking with grief. Her brother's sightless blue eyes were set determinedly in front of him. They were sparkling with deep courage, but shadowed with worry, a trace of uncertainty visible. "We go," he croaked.

Holly was too much in a haze to think properly. The cuts she had got from the vase shattering in her still ached, a throbbing sort of raw, stinging pain. She and her brother were pulled up onto royal red cushiony seats, and one of the passengers, a young black-haired stark-pale man, bearing a leather satchel carrying poking tools, stepped out and began to lower himself into the train. He was naturally skinny, but his build had increased due to hours of heavy work with strong metals.

"Good luck!" The last passenger, a ginger-blonde woman in her forties shouted. And, miraculously, the pearl-white horses lifted their perfect silver hooves, and, in a movement too smooth to describe, just...well, _lifted_ into the air. Their huge feathery ornate wings flapped up and they were hoisted into the sky, pulling the whole chariot with them. Holly was too stunned to speak.

"Is he going to fix the train?" Holly finally managed to stammer as they soared under the clouds, back the way the train had come.

"Of course," the first man turned back his head to look at them. "Spiderleg's an expert at this kind of stuff. Trust me, that petty mortal vehicle will be back to normal in a trice with his hands on the job."

"I don't think anyone could fix that wreck even if they were a child of the metalwork god," Jay muttered under his breath darkly.

The blonde man laughed as he overheard. "Ha, that's funny, because as a matter of fact he _is_ the child of the metalwork god."

"WHAT?!" Holly's ears rang in disbelief.

The ginger-blonde patted her hand soothingly. "Shush, I know you don't understand anything right now, but I promise that everything will be made clear to you soon. You're in good hands."

"She's right, you know," the driver assured, hardly comforting Holly's racing thoughts. "You'll be fine, and so will all the train's passengers."

Suddenly, she felt a rush of air buffet against her face and a crawling sensation in the pit of her stomach as the chariot swooped down, as the driver loosened his reins on the horses' necks. If they even _were_ horses. Maybe they were evil monsters. Or just a rare donkey breed that humankind had never heard about before.

As they plunged down into the air, her heart rushed with relief as she saw the distant figure of Leo, standing safely on the edge of the track with the girl that had fallen through the window before. She was unconscious, but he wasn't. A nervous thought crept up into Holly's mid and curiosity prickled her. How had he done it? Now had Leo managed to fly out of a rushing eighty-miles-per-hour train, crashing through the window's glass, and remain conscious? Holly peered closer, squinting in the morning sunlight. _How is he absolutely uninjured? That's not scientifically possible!_ she told herself.

But all the same, she was glad to have him back safe and sound, as the chariot swooped down, it's golden wheels glinting like molten fire in the sun. With a steady clop of hooves and a rattle, they were set on the railtrack.

Leo stared up at them, his golden curly hair flings back across his face as he gaped in shock, clutching the unconscious girl on his arms. A look of pure horror crept across his face.

"Come on, get in, questions will be answered later!" the blonde barked, settling his belt hurriedly and glacing at a metal watch fastened around his wrist. "Move it! If you don't move your-"

"Cloudtail, don't swear to demigods!" the disfigured woman snapped.

"-big fat lazy HELLHOUND-CURSED THING OVER this instant, we're feeding you to the harpies!"

" _Shut up_ , the poor soul thinks he's hallucinating."

"Mind your _drakon_ jaws yourself, Brightheart!"

"Oy! Slap some ambrosia over there, you two!"

"STOP!"

All heads turned to the driver, who snapped his reins down in frustration. "Just load the kid, okay? Stop arguing. You're making Squirrelflight wait." For a second, he paused, seeming to freeze in time as he gazed at Leo, Holly and Jay, as if he felt protective of them for some reason...as if he felt... _proud_. Shaking her head in confusion, Holly clutched Jay's hand as one if the chariot's boarders went to guide the dizzy Leo to the chariot.

"Forgive me," she said kindly, "but this will all by over soon. My name is Sorreltail, and this-" she pointed to the annoyed-looking blonde man, "-is Cloudtail. Sitting next to him is Brightheart." She nodded towards the disfigured woman, who rummaged in her purple-velvet handbag hastily, her green nail polish glinting in the sunlight. "And this is Brambleclaw." The driver of the chariot flicked his reins in acknowledgement. The horses then gave a mighty whinny, before, much to Leo's suppressed control, leapt with a soar into the sky once more, making the chariot's golden twelve-spoked wheels glint in the sunlight.

This was all too much for Holly's brother. With a terrified gasp, he collapsed into his seat and lay still, mouth frozen mid-scream.

The blonde man, Cloudtail, took a quick look behind him and shrugged in an infuriatingly nonchalant manner. "He's out cold. Too bad, I thought _him_ at least out of them three could stand it."

Brambleclaw the driver clenched his fists in annoyance. "Really, Cloudtail, don't you _dare_ insult my s-"

"Don't worry, I've found it," the woman sitting next to Cloudtail interrupted hurriedly, casting Brambleclaw a sharp look, as if to say something to him. She removed a plastic pack of some sugary-looking squares out of her bag, and thrust her hand inside to retrieve one of the sweets. Holly found it fitting that she was called Brightheart, as if to say that her appearance didn't matter and you should look _inside her heart_. But the names that these strange people called themselves were very odd - perhaps they were nicknames? An uncomfortable feeling swirled awkwardly in Holly's chest, and a chill crept up her spine as she shuddered. She wished for her mother, and her comforting, loving face, telling her it would be all right. Except her mother wasn't there. Holly was sitting in a chariot pulled into the sky by flying horses, seated with several mad strangers. What was the chances? _Help, what's going on?_ she thought helplessly.

Brightheart held out a sweet tentatively to Leo's unconscious body, and opened his jaws carefully. Holly was about to scream, but for some reason, something inside her told her to stop herself. _Holly!_ she scolded herself in surprise. _What are you doing? Letting a complete stranger feed something unfamiliar to your unconscious brother! What would your mother say if she were here?! Quick, stop her!_ But no matter how much her mind reeled, Holly stayed firmly where she was, gazing at the sight uncertainly. She didn't completely trust these people, but at least they had saved her and her siblings from the train crash.

"What's that smell?" Jay asked, sniffing the air curiosly with his sharp nose. Holly could smell it too - the sweet that Brightheart was putting in Leo's mouth, despite its small size, had a mouthwatering scent washing off it, like a cross between cinnamon and honey with sugared pear. It was delicious, like a perfect combination of all Holly's favourite foods, making her want to devour it all.

"It's ambrosia," Sorreltail replied as she closed Leo's mouth. Instantly colour flooded into his pale cheeks, and his battered arms looked immediately healthier. It was like a magic medicine, perfect, with instant healing and a fantastic taste personalised entirely for you. Holly felt herself longing for some.

"Can I try?" Jay asked nervously, licking his lips. "It certainly smells good."

Sorreltail shook her head in reply, before answering, "You can't, I'm afraid, because neither you nor your soul is injured. Ambrosia squares are the healers of immortals, but they kill humans and if demi-gods like you have too much, it burns your insides and kills you."

Jay wrinkled up his nose in disgust, but Holly barely noticed. Her mind was too concentrated on what Sorreltail had said - " _demi-gods like you_ ". What did that mean? Was there some sort of mistake? What even _were_ demi-gods?

"What's a demi-god?" she blurted out suddenly, afraid she'd just said something stupid. Were they going mad, or was it _her_?

Cloudtail looked as if he was about to explain, but Brambleclaw stopped him by glaring across at him in reprimand. "We'll tell them when we get to camp," he said decisively, looking straight ahead. Cloudtail folded his arms but nodded reluctantly in agreement, looking defeated by Brambleclaw's sharp tone.

"Look," Sorreltail patted Holly's shoulder kindly, "perhaps you would like some ambrosia too? You've got lots of wounds from where that vase hit you." That much was true at least - Holly's cuts still stung from where the Ming had shattered on her, and small crusty pools of dried blood clotted on her matted uniform. Her legs were infiltrated with bruised, and her head still hurt from when it had banged hard several times on the floor and the walls.

Holly took a deep breath and sighed. "I'll take some," she accepted the proposal, and Brightheart handed her a perfectly square, sugary caramel-ly coated sweet that wavered up her nostrils with its powerful attractive scent. She felt it melt on her tongue, an exquisite combination of her favourite flavours - orange chocolate, salted toffee, cinnamon, sweet drippy honey and pear milk. Savouring the taste that flooded her mouth, she leaned back on her seat happily and let herself fall under its spell until she had swallowed every morsel. Instantly, like magic, she watched her cuts vanish before her eyes, melting into her normal spotless skin tone. Her bruises disappeared, and her aching spots left nothing but a bare thrum. She felt elated.

"Aargh! Milk chocolate cookies and cranberry slushie! With white chocolate sprinkles and salt-and-vinegar crisps! My favourite foods! Seriously, you guys are so selfish," Jay huffed moodily, glaring accusingly at his sister with his blind eyes.

"So you're the _blind_ one then?" Cloudtail grunted.

"Cloudtail!" Brightheart hissed, glaring across at him with her narrowed eye.

Holly bit back an angry retort. How dare he? Did he have no room for spare feelings? Jay had already been shunned enough, for goodness' sake!

"Don't mind Cloudtail," Brambleclaw eyed the fluffy-headed blonde warily. "His tongue's too sharp for his own good."

"What about the other girl?" This interruption was made by Sorreltail, who glanced furtively at the unconscious girl that Leo had tried to save who was resting on Cloudtail's lap. She didn't look like anyone Holly recognised. Her soft narrow features were creased out into an expressionless face, her golden hair reflecting her tanned skin perfectly in the golden sunlight. She looked a little bit younger than Holly and her siblings - eleven, perhaps? She looked small for her age, as her features were relatively mature.

Cloudtail cast his gaze down, and gasped, slamming his fist against the chariot front and sending the horses stumbling for a split second as they whinnied in fright. "Blasted Kronos' skeleton horses! What's Heatherpaw of WindSide doing here?!"

The others immediately strained to peer at the girl, who was still wearing a matty blood-stained uniform for Westchester Hills High and a golden bracelet around her wrist, with a centrepiece of amber. Holly had never seen her before, and she had no idea what on the world the others were talking about. She wanted to stop, since the flight was making her feel sick and dizzy, as she was never a great fan of heights. Better still, she wanted to be home. She would give anything to make this strange series of incidents just a nasty dream, so that she could wake up soon on her cosy bed at home with her brothers snoring above her. But she knew this wasn't a dream. No matter how impossible, this was real.

"Should we give her ambrosia?" Brightheart enquired.

"No, I don't want to rid ThunderSide's stocks on a WindSide apprentice." Brambleclaw growled dryly.

"But she could die!" Sorreltail protested.

Cloudtail merely shrugged. "But that's none of our business, is it now?"

Brightheart gazed distantly. "I wonder if she was questing..."

Meanwhile, Leo seemed to be waking up. Whispering something in her other brother's ear, she did her best to quench the queasy feeling in her tummy. Had she and her brother made a mistake going off with strangers?

Leo lifted his eyelid sleepily. "Why the flying unicorns..?" he mumbled groggily.

Suddenly he sat up and pointed, in pure surprise and shock, at the winged horses. "F-flying unicorns!" he stammered. "B-but f-flying unicorns don't exist!"

"Do flying unicorns exist?" Cloudtail winked, turning his head to face them.

"Technically, they're not flying unicorns, they're flying horses," Jay corrected.

"Flying unicorns and flying horses are the same thing." Leo said resolutely.

"No, flying unicorns have magic horns!" Jay glared crossly.

"Wait. Unicorns have horns?"

"Stop being so far behind in the century."

"How dare you! Unicorns are not modern at all. Forgive me, but it's you that's ancient, Jay!"

"It's dead obvious. Unicorns have horns. Everybody knows that. Everybody except for _you_."

"...what? Can someone just slow down and explain?"

"Don't you have flying unicorns in your stupid battle comics?"

"Huh..? Oh yeah."

"Do they have horns?"

"Yeah."

"There you go."

"But they also have laser-eyes and super-hypno-tech robot-wing ultra-radiation!" Leo protested.

"Whatever. They have horns. These ones don't. Get used to it."

"They still have wings!"

"So what?"

"They're... They're... They're... I can't remember the word, but it's like... _Pegattons_! That's it, they're _Pegattons_!"

"There's no such thing as Pegat-whatever."

"It's true. I saw them in a movie in pre-school!"

"Leo. Pegattons. Do. Not. Exist," Jay explained slowly.

"They do!"

"I was right the first time."

"No you weren't!"

"Yes I was. I said that these are flying horses. You said that these are flying unicorns. We settled the matter. I was correct."

"We never settled anything!"

"We did. Too bad that you're a sore loser."

"They're Pegattons!"

Sorreltail patted Leo's hands. "I think you mean _Pegasi_. You were half-right."

"See!"

"No, _I_ was more correct!"

"Nuh-huh, me!"

" _Me_!"

"I said _me_!"

Holly blocked her ears to stop herself from listening to her brothers' stupid conversation. She had more important things to worry about. Like what on earth was going on right now. Why they were two hundred feet up in the air, riding a chariot pulled by flying horses. Or Pegasi. Whatever. Where were they going? Who were these weird-named people? Were they in good hands? What was the mention of the son of the metalwork god about? Why did their train almost crash? Why were they different from everyone else, so different that these people had chosen to take them and nobody else in their weird chariot? And, most importantly what was going to happen to them?

"Hold on, camp-ahoy, we're about to land," Sorreltail waved her hand as she peered over the edge if the chariot. Holly shuddered. She often got vertigo, and judging by the fact that the clear sky's clouds were barely inches from the top of her head, they were an immense distance from ground level.

"Right, got it," Brambleclaw answered as he steered the chariot downwards. Holly felt a sharp lurch in her stomach as they plunged downwards, veering sharply vertically. Holding in absolute terror onto Jay, who was widening his sightless eyes in surprise and awe, she felt her hair cascade out behind her as they soared downward at the speed of light.

Suddenly, she caught sight out of the corner of her eye of a plastic supermarket bag, flapping in the wind and heading straight towards them as it spun out of control. It raced and fluttered under the chariot and through one of the horses legs, as it immediately lost control to give way to seizing panic.

Its high-pitched whinnying alerted the other Pegasi, who immediately began to panick in a flurry themselves, completely forgetting about their wings as they shrieked and whinnied while they and the chariot plummeted towards their doom.

"Hey boy, calm down - you two, Flame and Forest - that's it, Draco - no, don't lose control!" cake Brambleclaw panicked wail as he failed yo soothe his drivers.

"What's happening?!" Leo shrieked, his hands flinging to his hair. "Are we going to crash?!"

"EVERYBODY BRACE YOURSELF!" Cloudtail whooped, cheering excitedly.

Sorreltail's hair was spinning wildly as she screamed. "HOW CAN YOU THINK OF FUN WHEN WE'RE ON THE BRINK OF DEATH?!" she bellowed through the peircing wind.

"WHAT?! I'M AN APOLLO DEMI-GOD! I LOVE CHARIOTS! AND SCARY FUN STUFF!"

"HOLD ON EVERYBODY, WE'RE GOING TO CRASH INTO CAMP!"

That was the last thing Holly heard as they plummeted wildly towards their death.


	5. Chapter Four: Who is my Mother?

**Heya peeps, back with more!**

 **Wait, I don't here any peeps about..?**

 **I DON'T HERE ANY PEEPS ABOUT!**

 ***sniff, sniff* Oh no, I am heartbroken... 0 reviews last chapter? Sad! *weep weep sob***

 ***sigh* Seriously, Crystal, pull yourself together! Perhaps your fellow Fanfictioners are busy? Hmm...**

 **No, I'm just kinda gutted because I spent ages on that chapter. I mean, flying horses? (And YES, they were flying HORSES, not UNICORNS. Jay was right.) I love writing my stories, and I spend a lot of time on them, scrutinising on every detail. I know some people donut like chunky paragraphs or long chapter like mine, but that's exactly how proper, published books are! It's weird... Oh well. COME ON CRYSTAL, GET ON WITH IT!**

 **Here we go, peeps...**

* * *

 **Chapter Four - Who is my Mother?**

 ** _Leafpool's POV..._**

"I wish they would hurry up a little," grumbled Leafpool, holding the snow-white banister of the porch surrounding the Green House. The day was without a breeze, and warm and sunny, making it look like a perfect day for the whole camp - which it either would be, or it would be absolutely heartbreaking instead. She couldn't contain her utmost excitement at the chance to see the potential Three. Firestar too, was unusually impatient, as he paced back and forth on the neatly-packed wooden planks of the porch underneath. The warm late summer air touched Leafpool's cheek - it was late September, and winter would be rolling in at some time or other.

It wasn't just the ThunderSide who was desperate for The Three to arrive. Although they were the only clan with demigods knew about the prophecy, the other clans, and the world too, could face serious trouble if the Untold Forces succeeded in...well, taking over the world. Or whatever their mission was. That was another problem. For almost fifteen years now, the ThunderSide had begun to witness signs of a growing enemy, one that was indescribably powerful. The had managed to find out that these "Untold Forces" had managed to, or was going too, choose one of the gods of Olympus to take over the mind of, and to have on their side. Who that god was still remained a mystery.

"Ooh! I bet Cloudtail has argued with Brambleclaw so much! Oh, they're coming! They're coming they're coming they're coming! My own children, and the incredibly powerful Three, after all this time! They're coming they're coming they're coming!"

Leafpool sighed. That was her hyperactive sister Squirrelflight. For a grown woman, she still behaved like a six-year-old at times, but that was part of her nature. Her red locks flew about as she shook her pack of cards about in her hands, and an Ace of Diamonds spun out onto the floor.

"Calm down, Squirrelflight," sighed Firestar gravely. "It may be bad news. Perhaps our group did not find your children. Or they have died. Or something went wrong in the mission. Either way, let's not get our hopes up."

Somebody poked their head out of the Green House's front door. "Do you want to play cards, Squirrelflight?" It was Longtail. The elderly man was heavily wrinkled and his blue eyes were blind from old age, but a smile twinkled on his lips.

"Tartarus yeah!" yowled a cracked voice from inside. "Come over and watch me beat ya, pops."

Mousefur. Another elder, this cranky old woman had not lost a game of cards in three months. And she played at least ten times a day.

"You know I'll beat you, Mousefur," cackled Longtail, as he and Squirrelflight disappeared behind the closing door.

It was rare when the elders were so jolly. Usually, they were anxious and depressed in these tough times, where uncertainty about the rising enemy lurked dangerously in every corner. The whole clan was experiencing years of high pressure, and the other clans were not helping. Leafpool's thoughts wandered away dreamily. Never before had the ThunderSide been in such desperate need of The Three. But except for herself and her sister Squirrelflight, Leafpool had another reason to hope to live to see these three children that should be coming back soon now.

"Leafpool dear, is that a silhouette I see far away in the sky? I can't be sure, I don't have your young eyes," squinted Firestar.

Leafpool quickly looked up, her calm, pensive thoughts quickly slipping away. "It is!" she exclaimed, whitening like a sheet at the sight of the blurry, bright shape on the sky. Then, as she looked harder and the shape came into view, her face fell as she cried out, "It's crashing! It's lost control! IT'S HEADING STRAIGHT TOWARDS US!"

Suddenly, a blinding white flash was seen as an image of bright gold spiralled into view from the sky, plummeting down like a flaming meteor. It seemed to be in flames, and Leafpool had to squint as the sun reflected boldly against its gold ornate carvings. It's the chariot! thought Leafpool desperately. It's shooting straight down! Oh no!

"What's going on?!" came a yell from inside the Green House. Mousefur and Longtail galloped outside on their old legs, only yo gasp at what they saw.

"Mighty Apollo's gibbering gibbons!" yowled Mousefur.

Then, there was an almighty crash and a huge explosion of leaves and greenery as the chariot landed straight into the nearby forest's trees.

 ** _Back to normal (Jay's POV)_**

Jay felt as if every hair on his body, every bone and every joints was shattered. He felt as if his whole body was on fire, singed and burning, his flesh crumbling, and he had no power to stop the pain flashing through him. The world around was blurry, and spinning constantly, jibbling, wobbling in his view...

Beside him, he heard a painful sigh, and a creaky groan as the body heaved itself mightily up. Not him. He was too exhausted. The shock of the realisation that they were crashing had scared the wits out of him, and, embarrassingly, he remembered the world going black as he passed out. Now here he was, lying sprawled and aching, on top of...was it a tree?

"Jay, are you okay?" came a voice from above him. It was Holly, who, as he could probably guess, was standing above him in a wobbly way, very dishevelled but uninjured as she brushed off twigs from her skirt.

Leo shook him roughly. "Jay? Jay, man, it's okay. You passed out. Oh boy, that was fun!"

Holly must have turned deathly pale. "Leo! How could you say that?!" she scolded in amazement and bewilderment, her voice heavily shaken.

Jay groaned. His body still hurt madly, but, using the most amazing effort that he had ever used in his life, and with the help of Sorreltail, he managed to stand up. His messy hair and fringe was tangled and very well decorated with twigs and wood chips, but, except for a scar on his knee and the train's injuries, so was everybody else.

"How do we get down?" That was Brightheart, who, from the desperate rustles of leather and paper, was rummaging in her satchel.

Jay felt his sister's hand take hold of his as he nervously put his foot down on a piece of shiny white chariot. Scents of forest and oak, with lush greenery and plants around, told him he was in an area with a lot of trees - a forest. On his right, however, he smelt decidedly less wood, and assumed that they were right on the forest's border. Rubbing his eyes and bruised knees, he almost tripped over a piece of broken chariot - the rough landing had not been forgiving, and Jay assumed that the once beautiful chariot was now smothered into several dozen golden-blazing plaques.

He heard a loud whinny from far away, several feet downwards, and the clop of hooves on grass. Brambleclaw must have let go of the Pegasi. The winged horses were evidently in panic, exhaling sharply and hot-hoofing it in circles.

There was a peircing shout from further away. "Firestar! Look! Oh my Zeus, look what's happened! Dear blessed Hera, let them be okay!" The should of trampled grass from several pairs of feet announced to Jay that they were about to be rescued.

"Leafpool! Fetch the nect-"

Suddenly there was a branch-cracking wobble, and, with a shriek erupting from his mouth, the branch he was on snapped like gingerbread and soon, for the second time that day, he plummeted to the ground.

"Oh my jabbering jam Demeter-wholewheat sandwiches!" cried a senior voice gleefully, hoarse with age but delighted at the drama.

Oof.

He landed on the grass heavily like a stone.

"Oh my! My darling dear sweetie, are you okay?!"

Suddenly Jay felt his body being swept up into someone's arms, and, with a squeal, and a kick and a thrash, hugged tight against someone's chest. He was gently put down as the person in front of him started waving her arms and calling. "Oh! You're safe! Praise Hera you're all safe!"

Another voice squealed excitedly, and shouted, "Heya, you can come down now, you lot! We've got a tonne of stuff to show you!"

Who on earth is that? WHAT is happening? Jay heard soft landings as several people cautiously jumped down from the tree (it was quite a low one), including the laugh of his brother Leo.

"Whoah, guys, that was seriously cool, could we do it again sometime?"

Jay rolled his eyes. It was just like Leo to be a thrill-seeking psychomaniac. Perhaps the thirteen-year-old's untuned senses and undeveloped brain failed to realise that they had almost died half a minute ago.

"No way am I jumping down there!"

That was Holly. At least Jay could rely on her to be sensible in most situations.

"Don't be afraid; it's not far down at all, and the grass is really soft."

"...I- I'm not sure... Do I have a choice? Well, okay...fine. I'll go."

Sorreltail was reassuring Holly, which pleased Jay. Soon he heard a thump beside him, and then a cheer, as Holly, wobbly-kneed, shaken and dirty, stood up and brushed dirt off her skirt.

Cloudtail, who was near him, looked up and made a desolate-sounding sigh. "Shame about the chariot. Spiderleg will be devastated - no wonder, it took him two weeks to make!"

Suddenly there was a gasp as Brightheart scampered up and exclaimed, "The Pegasi!"

"I'll get them," offered Brambleclaw gruffly.

"Would someone please tell me what's going on?" pleaded Holly desperately. She had been shaken up by the near-train crash, despite the ambrosia given to her, and the fall, and Jay thought she needs medical treatment right away. Him too; he had just passed out, and had been the most injured in the fall from the skies.

There was an uneasy silence, and Jay sensed uncomfortableness rolling off the strange-named people. Unease and a tense atmosphere stirred the air, before finally, after what seemed like months, the silence was broken by the woman who had hugged him.

"I'll fetch some nectar, if that's all right." Then she hurried off, heading in the direction away from the trees.

"Right," sighed a gruff man, wiping his coat calmly, "I suggest we go inside. You three demi-godlings - or children, if you prefer - come to my office. What I'm about to tell you may shock you a little, so I need to you promise to be serious."

The eerie silence that surrounded them as they walked to a big house, similar-looking to a barn, made Jay shiver. Holly sniffled beside him, and he guessed she was on the verge of crying. When he went especially close to her, he sensed words in her head; so real he could almost hear them: What's happening? Are the people we left in the train okay? What if they're dead? Who are these people? Are they kidnapping us? What would Mum say if she were here? Or Dad? Will we ever see them again? Should I contact the police?

Jay wasn't spooked out. He could often hear voices in his mind, who seemed to be thinking like other people. He'd heard "Holly's thoughts" just now; he had always presumed the voices were just assumptions of his peers' thoughts, since he knew them so well. It wasn't like he could read minds or anything.

They walked through a billiard room and down a narrow corridor, and through to the far door, which opened up into an air darkwood study. His brother guided him to a chair, where he sat down, and he heard the man cough.

"I'm really sorry," he began, "about how we had to bring you here. Unfortunately, there was no other opportunity with less than one-hundred or so people watching, and an open sky above, so our resident mechanic Spiderleg was forced to almost cause the train to derail."

Jay felt his sister stiffening beside him, and the crunch of knuckles as she tightened her fist. "You caused the train to derail?!" she demanded angrily, advancing forwards towards the desk. "You scared us out if our wits, and almost killed hundred of people!"

The man sighed, drumming his fingers against his desk. "Rest assured, they are all fine now, and have had a memory charm applied so that they have all completely forgotten the incident, as well as the fact that you were on the train at all."

Holly must have turned purple beside him.

"We're sorry about the drama; and the slight fall you had wasn't intended either. We had no choice. Oh, and by the way, the Pegasi are fine. I take you must have wondered why they had wings. Well, that's just normal around here; but, come let's wait for Leafpool to arrive with the nectar before I tell you the...rather shocking thing."

Soon the door clicked open and the woman who had hugged Jay strutted in, while carefully placing three glasses with liquid in them on the desk. Leo and Holly did nothing.

"Go on, then," the man invited. "Drink - it's nectar, heals all wounds of godly beings. And tastes like however you want it to taste it! But don't drink too much, or you'll burst into flames."

"Cool!" yelled Leo, almost upsetting a paperweight as he rushed to snatch his cup. Holly slapped him on the arm.

"Leo! We don't just drink random liquids from strangers!"

Jay imagined Leo looking doubtfully from side to side and shrugging. "So what? It's not everyday we hitch a ride from flying unicorns."

"Pegasi," growled Jay, remembering their argument on the chariot.

The man sighed. "Just drink, it'll do you know harm. Brightheart gave you ambrosia on the chariot, didn't she? That didn't hurt you."

Jay tentatively reached out his hand and took hold of the drink holder. He placed a straw in his mouth, and, nervously, began to suck.

Oh, it tasted like heaven.

Cranberry slushie, white chocolate drizzle, caramel biscuit flavouring.

Sweet.

Holly must have seen his dreamy expression, for she cautiously took her own glass and drank. Immediately she relaxed, her expression softening and her injuries dissipating.

Jay too, could feel his cuts and bruises vanishing.

With one last slurp, he put the cup back on the desk and sighed happily.

"Wow! Wowza wowza wowza! I need more of that!" Leo yelled, thumping his hands noisily against the table.

"Bad idea," explained the woman, called...was it Leafpool? Strange names! "You'll explode."

Leo's eyes must have lit up. "Cool! I WANNA BLOW UP!"

"Leo, sit down!" Jay's sister scolded. Obeying her orders, Leo sat down quickly, shuffling excitedly. Leo was extreme ADHD.

Leafpool then ruffled Jay's hair, which annoyed him, and then left ten room, closing the door behind her. Sunlight streamed in through the window, and dust tickled his nose. He could feel the man who had brought them into the office growing grave in front of him.

He laid back on his chair pensively, so quietly that Jay could have heard a pin drop in the room. "You see," he began, nervously adjusting an ink-pot on the desk, "there's no easy way to say this. Have any of you, by any chance, heard or leant about the Ancient Greek gods?"

Leo shook his head and began trying to see if he could lick his elbow.

Holly nudged him in the ribs. "Of course we have!" Her tone was that of an annoyed person. "Year 7, term 2 and 3? AKA two years ago? Please say you remember, Leo!"

Jay shrugged and swung his legs loosely. "Leo never pays attention in class, Holly," he pointed out. "He's not like you."

The man in front of them folded his arms together. "So tell me, then - first of all, what are your names?"

"I'm Leo Da Awsomeness Master!" shouted Jay's brother loudly, before performing a badly-executed bow. He tripped over, and landed on the carpet, his hand knocking over a marble bust of a stern-looking beared man by the wall.

"I'm Jay," Jay mumbled, casting down a desolate look and fiddling with his fingers. The next bit was going to be hard. "I- I'm blind," he croaked.

The man seemed unfazed by his last comment, although Holly shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Holly." She was obviously uncertain at having to reveal her name to a stranger.

"You don't trust me, do you?" the man stated, probably giving Holly a hard look. "You'll have to trust us completely from now on, you know. Your life is in danger if you don't. But anyway, let me ask: Holly, how much to you know about the Ancient Greek gods and their myths?"

Holly must have beamed. "A lot, sir," she announced proudly. "The twelve Olympians, the main gods, were Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Athena, Ares, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Demeter, Artemis, Apollo, Dionysus and Hermes. The other main god was Hades, ruler of the Underworld, who was never accepted as an Olympian. Other gods include Hestia, Persephone, Nemesis, Hecate, Nike, Psyche, Janus-"

Holly stopped short, signifying to Jay that their host had probably held out his hand to tell her to stop. "I can see already that you know a lot, Holly," he explained, "so how would you feel, all three of you, if I told you that the Greek gods from thousands of years ago certainly did exist, and are still alive and existing today?"

A deadly silence weighed in the room. Holly beside him held her breath, and Jay could hear even Leo freezing into a stock-still position - or rather, not hear him any more. His bones felt electrified with shock, and he couldn't move. This was crazy. It just was. These people must be crazy. But the thing was, Jay didn't feel like that. On any other day, if someone had told Jay that the Ancient Greek gods still existed, he would have told to stop messing around with him. But today, now...he didn't know why, he just felt inclined to...believe it. He felt as if it was real. The man in front of him...it just didn't make sense that he would just lie. And the Pegasi...it explained the flying horses, didn't it? Pegasi were part of Greek mythology. Maybe...maybe the man was right.

Eventually, when Holly couldn't hold her breath any longer, she exhaled loudly and stated, quietly, so it was almost a whisper, "That's not possible." The others stared at her, even Jay, although he couldn't actually see her.

It has to be possible, he thought. It has to be.

Holly spun round furiously. "IT'S NOT POSSIBLE, OKAY?!" Jay was taken aback. He had never, never in his thirteen and a half years, heard his sister so furious before. If he had been able to see her...he imagined her eyes wild, going out of their sockets, and her hair flying about in slow-motion, and her skin turning the colour that his siblings called..."red".

"STOP STARING AT ME!" Holly continued, chokes stabbing her throat with grief. "IT'S JUST NOT POSSIBLE! LEAVE US ALONE, WILL YOU?!" This last part was addressed to the man at the desk. "STOP TRYING TO KIDNAP US! YOU'VE COMMITED ILLEGAL ACTIVITY, AND I CAN PROVE IT! FORGET YOUR SILLY FANTASY STORIES ABOUT GREEK GODS MADE TO TRY AND TRICK US! IT'S JUST NOT POSSIBLE!" Then with one last splutter she broke down into tears.

Except for muffled sobs, the room was silent. The man stood up and tutted. Jay heard him walk around the desk and come to stand by Holly, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"It's not possible," she whispered, croaking. "It can't be..."

"I'm so sorry," apologised the man. "It wasn't my choice for any of this to happen. But it's all true. Soon, you'll have to learn to trust us, all three of you."

Jay leaned back on his chair, thoughts spinning. Ancient Greek gods? Alive today? Well, what can I say? His mind was a live tangle of whizzing thoughts, spinning theories, and wild ideas. This is crazy!

Holly calmed down soon after, and sat down with one last *sniff*. "But why have you brought us here then? Did our own parents know? And who are you exactly?" Jay asked, his mind inquisitive.

The man scratched his beard. "Forgive me, dear; I am Firestar, and I am leader of the ThunderSide. Your parents? Do you mean Barbara and Paul Jennon-Lee?" Jay heard Leo gasp at the fact that the man - Firestar - knew their parents' names. "No, they had no idea," he admitted, "because they themselves are just regular mortals, with no idea that the Greek Gods watch the skies of Mount Olympus. You know what a god is, I presume?"

"Yeah," breathed Jay, hanging onto every word. He felt attracted to this idea that there were lots of gods watching them from above. When he was little, he had always imagined that the earth was ruled by lots of special beings, like people, who ruled on a mountain. Had his three-year-old gut instinct been correct, all those years ago? I really WAS right?

"Well," Firestar continued, "in the Ancient Greek myths - which are all true, by the way - the gods, particularly Zeus - no offence to him, of course - are often having...affairs with ordinary mortal people. And when this happens, there is usually a baby involved. This type of baby is called a demi-god, or a half-blood - half god, half human. This makes them mostly like humans, but very powerful humans. They can support and digest the godly foods of ambrosia and nectar, which are deadly to mortals. They can wield and and be inflicted with wounds of celestial bronze and imperial gold. They can use powers of their parently god - for example, children of Poseidon can will themself to be untouched by water, and can control the ocean, while children of Aphrodite can charmspeak, meaning they can fool anybody into letting them do anything with their very soothing voices. At around the teenage stage in their lives, demi-gods are often hunted down by monsters. This place is known as the ThunderSide camp, where we bring demi-gods like these to safety, and train them here, to learn, fight, and strategise all they need to know to survive."

Suddenly there was a knock on the polished wooden door, and a creak, as it opened and Cloudtail's voice asked, "May I please come in, eh, ol' Firestar?"

Firestar looked annoyed at being referred to like a playmate, but grudgingly replied, "Yes, but you know better than to call me that, Cloudtail. Show some respect to your leader and uncle." He sighed as the man known as Cloudtail tottered in smugly, licking his lips at the smell of nectar. "Cloudtail is my very impertinent nephew," Firestar explained to Jay and his siblings.

The door opened once more, and Brambleclaw came in, giving Cloudtail what Jay guessed was a hard stare. He was followed by a young woman and an old, tottering man of perhaps seventy, by the sound of his cracked, hoarse voice. "So, Cloudtail, how did you like your three new recruits?" he asked.

Jay heard Cloudtail sauntering up to the fidgeting Leo to ruffle his messy, tangled hair. "I like this one the best. He's got spirit. The other two," he chuckled, obviously meaning Jay and Holly, "need time."

Jay felt mild annoyance rolling off Brambleclaw in waves. "Cloudtail, don't go too far; remember you are talking about my children here-" he began, before stopping short, realising what he had said. A deadly silence weighed in the room.

"Your children?!" Jay spluttered, shaking his head in confusion. Surely this was a mistake? Brambleclaw had said that by accident.

He expected someone to burst out laughing and say, "Ha! No, no, no, Brambleclaw meant the new children! Nothing to worry about!", but no, nobody said that. They were all silent, their mood transfixed by the terrible slip that their friend had made.

"You didn't tell them yet?" questioned Cloudtail, addressing Firestar. His tone was irritatingly nonchalant, as if he didn't particularly care about Jay and his siblings, as if he was willing to watch them suffer without blinking an eyelid.

Firestar twitched his fingers absent-mindedly, lost in a world of wise and dangerous thoughts. Jay's heart was pounding so fast he thought it would explode out if his ribcage. Was Brambleclaw their father? How was that possible? It couldn't be true, could it? It...it...surely it had to be a lie!

Jay heard someone step forward shakily, their foot trembling a little bit. "Demi-godlings," she began; it was the young woman. "my name is Squirrelflight." Jay noticed her voice wobble in the next sentence as if she was feeling guilty about something: "and I am your mother."

Jay's blood turned to ice.

It's true, it's true! Please let him believe it! begged the voices around him...distant, as if they were the thoughts of the people staring at him. Jay strained to catch more of them. They're not believing it! Oh no! What will Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw say if their own demi-godlings disown them? Oh Hera, let them believe it, for it's the truth!

"Then why have we been living all our lives with Mum and- I mean, Barbara and Paul Jennon-Lee?" Jay challenged, openly, feeling confident. He knew that something wasn't right; he knew nothing of the big picture, someone had lied to him, and there were secrets, secrets buried so low down that he had never known they existed: now he was about to uncover those secrets.

He wanted answers.

"Look, we're so sorry, but it wasn't our fault!" Squirrelflight cried, rushing forward to embrace them all in a hug. Jay felt awkward and squished against Holly on his right; he was being highed by a stranger after all. But was the stranger really his mother?

Squirrelflight backed away slowly and sniffed. "I'm so glad to have you back," she whispered. "You see, when you were all little - just hours after you were born, in fact - my sister Leafpool took you to the warming room for new babies and went downstairs to tell Firestar - who is my father - the news. While she was away, I slipped into the warming room, and...you were gone."

Jay shivered. Could it be true? Had he been living a lie all his life? Of course not, Jay, he told himself. But...something, just something inside him, a little conscientious voice at the back of his mind, told him, Yes, Jay, believe it: it is true.

"Right, that's it: I'm calling the police!" his sister sounded, storming out of the room, but even she sounded doubtful. She was usually the most sensible - maybe she was being sensible by trying to call the police - but, all the same, this time Jay wished she would hold her tongue so he could find out more.

Brambleclaw called her back. "You won't find any phones around here," he explained. "Phones are a direct line to monsters. Calling your friend on a telephone is like saying to the nearest cyclops, "Here, come and eat me!"" Jay thought he cold here pride in his voice.

After this prompting, Holly came back, and sighed, drastically. She seemed reluctant to believe Firestar's strange, impossible-sounding story, but was she right to be?

Please, lucky stars, WHAT is happening right now?

* * *

 **Yup, long chapter! Hope you enjoyed!**

 **\- Crystal**

 **:)**


	6. Chapter Five: Which God Am I?

**Helo everyone! I'm back after a break. This chapter is in Leo's POV, as you might expect. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter Five - Which god am I?**

Leo still couldn't believe his ears - Squirrelflight was he and his sibling's mother? So...so what about his mother then - or his _not_ mother - his _foster_ mother? Had she been lying to him all his life? It couldn't be, it couldn't be, it was impossible! And his foster father had lied as well, if Brambleclaw was his father!

 _Mum..._ he thought pensively, sorrowful of his memories. _Are you really my mum? I thought you were, but these people say otherwise...Oh, please say it's all a lie! You've told us the truth, haven't you? Mum, Dad, I love you so much...if only it's all a lie!_

Leo observed his surroundings carefully. The bearded man who said he was called Firestar sat behind his big, majestic darkpine desk, his deep green eyes twinkling behind a layer of wise, aged wrinkles. He had a beard of bright red hair, bushy and tangly and sparkling like fire, and was wearing a strange, green garment, similar to a soldier or general's suit. A shining green sash wrapped around him, with a strange, misty, forest-green lobe studded in the middle, around the size of his fist. Leo was sure it had to do with something important, but he wasn't sure what yet. Dark shadows loomed under his eyes, showing he was tired, but right now, his overall expression was relief.

"I understand that this comes as a shock to you. Perhaps you'd like to have a talk, alone, with your parents and me?" he suggested, getting up to open the window behind his desk. The latch loosened with a * _creak_ * and the panels of glass swung open, letting the cool breeze flow in to ruffle their hair. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask." Understanding Firestar's message with an annoyed huff, Cloudtail and Longtail lumbered out of the room.

If _you have any questions...?_ Leo's mind echoed the words over and over like word processor, filtering out the bits that Leo couldn't understand. IF _you have any questions...?_

 _Of course I have questions! My whole mind is spinning in a tangle of questions! I've been kidnapped by a gang of weird-named people with flying unicorns from a train crash, had a fall from the skies into a tree, been told the woman in front of me is my mother and that Ancient Greek gods rule on some mountain... Did you really expect me to take this lightly?_

Leo stared at Squirrelflight, who was standing, pride beaming in her gaze, by Firestar. It was obvious that she was his daughter, for she had the same bright red hair as him, pale skin and twinkling green eyes. _I always thought green eyes were rare. Now I know why my sister Holly has them, when there is no-one else in our family - foster family - who has anything but brown and blue._ Squirrelflight was wearing a tight flowery summer dress, lime green and dappled with soft rose pink flowers. Brambleclaw looked burly but proud as he stepped forward to stroke Jay's hand. He had dark, dark hair, so brown it was almost black, and tanned coffee skin that surrounded his stern, brown eyes. He had on a uniform similar to Firestar's, but simpler.

"So, if Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw are our parents, then we aren't demi-gods, are we?" Jay realised, his voice not as cracked or troubled as Leo had expected. _Isn't he surprised? About everything?_

Brambleclaw opened his mouth to speak but Forestar got there first. "Well, you see, you are demi-gods, actually, despite the fact that you have no godly parents. There are two - well, three kinds of demi-gods. The obvious ones happen when a mortal falls in love with a god. Take Berrynose, for example. His mother is Daisy Hoarsplayce, a mortal woman who fell in love with the god Apollo. That means he is half mortal, half Apollo." Firestar looked around, as of to check that Leo and his siblings were keeping up. "The second kind is when a demi-god has children with another demi-god - I'll use your father, Brambleclaw, as an example. His parents were Goldenflower and-" - suddenly Firestar choked a little and gave a shudder, as if wincing at several memories - "- _Tigerstar_. Goldenflower was a daugher of Aphrodite. Tigerstar was a son of Kronos. That means that, genetically, since both were half-mortal, Brambleclaw would be half-mortal as well. However, he could have been half-mortal and half-Aphrodite, half-mortal and half-Kronos, or half-mortal, quarter-Aphrodite, and quarter-Kronos."

Leo looked around at Holly and Jay. They seemed to be drinking in every word that Firestar was taking. "So what is Brambleclaw then, in terms if blood?" he asked, breaking the ice that had frosted the silence. _This is confusing. And weird._

Brambleclaw nodded. "I am half-mortal, half-Kronos." As if that was enough, he curled his arm protectively around Squirrelflight, almost _challenging_ someone to say something more. Leo didn't know why, but there seemed to be some tension around the name _Tigerstar_. He would have to ask about this later.

"What kind of demi-god is Squirrelfligt then? What about us? And what's the third kind of demi-god?" enquired Holly, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

Firestar looked around, drawing in a deep breath. "I am the third kind if demi-god. It is very rare, and very confusing. You see, I...was born a mortal." Squirrelflight tensed, and Holly's eyes stretched wide. _How can he be leader of this place for demi-gods, if he's not even one himself? I'm not sure I believe this._

"I soon joined ThunderSide in search for a home. At first I was an outcast among us. But, see, I wasn't just a mortal - I was a special kind of mortal, one that could see through the Mist. The Mist is what protects the secret of the gods. Sometimes, monsters come and terrorise cities, and demi-gods have to fight them. Then the Mist happens. It makes it look, to mortals, as if, say, a big, hot dog truck is passing, instead of a scaly Hydra or something like that. But occasionally, a mortal is born, and the power of the Mist doesn't work on them. I was one of these mortals. I saw harpies swooping in the sky. Furies in streets. Minor gods battling in the clouds. The Fates selling tickets to theme parks. My family thought I was crazy. So...I ran away, to a place where I could find answers. Here." He paused, his huge chunks of conversation rolling into an overwhelming power on top of Leo. _His stories are crazy! I'm not sure if I believe them. All the same, he must have a lot of imagination to make up all that._

"Soon, an amazing thing happened; a strange shape appeared at the top of my head, and words rang out: "May this mortal with the power of sight be Decided as a son of all gods." Whenever this happens to a mortal who can see through Mist, it means that the gods have noticed them, and have given them the power of any demi-god. I had something happen to me that had never happens before in history. The gods gave me the power of all the gods - normally it is only one. For example, Berrynose's mother, Daisy, could see through the Mist. The gods Decided her as a daughter of Hera. My nephew Cloudtail could see through the Mist. The gods Decided him half-Apollo. Do you understand?" He blinked and took a deep breath.

 _What?!_ Leo wanted to scream. But Jay was nodding slowly. "I get it, sort of. What about Squirrelflght and...Leafpool?"

Squirrelfight explained. "Firestar had us with a demi-god called Sandstorm. Sandstorm's mother was Demeter, goddess of grains and harvesting, and her father was mortal. But because Firestar had the power of all the gods in him, it meant that Squirrelflight and I could be anything. Leafpool was half Athena, half mortal, and I am half Artemis, half mortal."

Holly brightened up, colour flooding into her cheeks. "Athena and Artemis are two of my favourites!"

"So...technically, we could be demi-gods of any god?" mumbled Jay, his sightless gaze transfixed by his shoes.

Firestar, Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw shared a quick, furtive glance, as if hiding something. "Yes," Firestar replied slowly. He sounds a little...odd, thought Leo.

Brambleclaw smiled at Leo. "Perhaps you would like a tour of the camp? We train our demi-gods as warriors. Warriors to fight monsters, explore quests, survive, and fight the other Sides." _Huh? Sides? What sides?_ "There's a lot to explain. Perhaps it would be better if we - and by that, I mean each of you three - separate? Than you can ask as many questions as you like, which we would happily answer."

Holly was looking around suspiciously. "Hold on, it might not be a good idea to separate. Once Jay, Leo and I separate, we're an easier target to kidnappers." She looked meaningfully at Firestar and the others.

Leo felt a rush of annoyance travelling up his spine. Couldn't Holly accept anything, or take a risk? The story they had been told certainly seemed tall, and Leo wasn't sure he one-hundred-percent believed it. He was still uncertain about Squirrelflight being his mother and Brambleclaw being his father, for instance. But he knew that some of what he had just been told was true - he just felt it. Doesn't Holly ever get that feeling?

"Give it a rest, Holly," he snapped to his sister. "If these people are gong to kidnap us, they'd have gagged us and bound us in bags by now!"

Squirrelflight put her hand in his. "It's normal for you to be in doubt, all of you. Of every single demi-god we've brought here, none have accepted this without questions. But perhaps we could tie a few loose ends if we all went our separate ways on a stroll?"

Jay was nodding. "Fine," he said, his voice muffled, "but I just need to ask one thing right now: you say you train demi-gods to be warriors. Well, what about me? I'm... _blind_. Will I still become a warrior?" There was a wobble in his voice when he said the word blind. Leo understood how his brither felt. Admitting the fact that he was blind must be difficult, especially for someone proud like Jay. _He's brave._

Firestar winced sharply at those words. "I...well, I suppose it might be slightly...difficult to train you, especially in archery, if you are _visually impaired_." Leo noticed that Firestar was being especially cautious about his words, so as to not hurt Jay's feelings. "You could still become Leafpool's Oracle apprentice. Leafpool did not train as a warrior. She is our Oracle. She heals us when we are sick or injured, so I suppose you could say that she is our special doctor. She also has a special connection with the gods. They send her signs, advice and prophecies. How does that sound?"

To Leo's surprise, Jay didn't answer. Instead he looked annoyed, his eyebrows lowering into a frown. His bright, intense blue eyes wer clouded in anger. Didn't he like the prospect of escaping from physical training, and learning intellectual subjects instead?

"No thanks." Jay's voice was stone cold, frostier than ice. He glared at Firestar accusatively. "I'm not being singled out from everybody else because I'm _blind_. I'm _sick_ of that. Let me train as a warrior."

There was a tense silence. Firestar got out a cup of coffee and drank in wearily, taking noisy warm sips. "Jay, why don't you stay in here, actually? We can discuss any further matters from here. Holly, and...is it Leo? Yes, well I'm sure Brambleclaw, you would love to take your son on a tour of the territory? You can explain about the other sides. And Leafpool and Squirrelfight, you can take Holly around the camp and explain the different activities."

Leo glanced up at Brambleclaw, looking authoritive and burly. His father has looking down at him, pride shining in his eyes. The long, brown gaze hovered on top of each one of the three siblings, before dropping. "I think that's a good idea," he said, shuffling inside his uniform.

Squirrelflight ruffled Jay's hair. "Can't I stay here with my son and Firestar?" she asked. Jay stiffened. "Hey, nobody asked me about what I thought of this," he grumbled, his voice muffled by his torn Westchester Hills High uniform.

Firestar ignored Jay's comment. "Why not? Let's do that. After, we'll show you to the Hermes cabin where you can all have a wash and catch up on what you've learnt."

Leo looked down at himself. His tatty, bloodstained Westchester Hills High uniform, brand-new, was matted with mud and woven with twigs, a crusty brown stain on his knees. The blood of the girl he had rescued on the train. His mind flickered over to what had happened to her - the others had said that her name was Heatherpaw - Heatherpaw of WindSide. So this was the ThunderSide...was WindSide an enemy group of demi-gods? Leo remembered her pale, bruised face, and her golden hair, as she lay limp on the train-tracks. Cloudtail had taken her inside the chariot, when she was unconscious. After the crash into the trees, Leo couldn't remember what had happened to her. He bit his tongue.

"Sounds good to me," Holly nodded, narrowing her eyes to Leafpool. "You said something about an Oracle apprentice that heals others. What's that?"

"I'll explain everything," said Leafpool softly. "Let's split up now." Her gaze swept over the children lovingly.

And that was how Leo found himself on a stroll with a stranger across an unknown forest while he was supposed to be at school.

* * *

Leo still felt uneasy as he roamed the forest with Brambleclaw's heavy footsteps at his side. The earth shifted underneath his feet as his "father" and him walked through the woods, the awkward silence stretching on. The fact that there was no noise around him made Leo feel a buzz in his ears, hollow and eerie.

Leo and Brambleclaw had walked outside the camp, while Holly and Leafpool went in the opposite direction, starting the tour at the sports hall. Leo had gazed at the camp around him, the others strolling from their day-to-day lessons, staring at him wide-eyed. Some of them were children like him, clutching either a small set of second-hand textbooks, or a sword, bow or armour. _Weapons_. Leo had trembled under their inquisitive gaze. They're holding actual weapons. _This can't be legal._ Most were wearing their own clothes, while some had on a casual short-sleeved green T-shirt with an emblem of thunder on.

The adults looked more serious, coming back from the woods with heavy, straw-woven baskets, heavy with acorns, nuts and odd-coloured berries, or with heavy iron weapons.

 _Weapons_ , Leo had gulped once more.

And that was only the people.

Even more wide-eyed at seeing his shocked expression had been a girl, with branches as arms, bushy with leaves, coffee skin (or bark), cherry-red lips and a shiny robe of green and brown, resembling skin. Her feet had been bare. In the small bubbling stream they had crossed had been a group of three chattering blue-skinned girls, donning smooth dark blue hair and white-and-cyan robes had concealed their invisible legs. And last of all had been a tottering goat-man who had wanted to speak with Brambleclaw. He was wearing a messy T-shirt and plain shorts, with furry, hooves legs sticking out. Twisted horns curled out of his messy brown hair.

Leo's mind played back all of those shocking incidents as he walked silently through the woods, an eerie presence gripping him.

"What about that girl I found?" he mumbled after a while, hearing a sparrow chirp on a tree. Heatherpaw was still on his mind, her strange, deathly-pale face flickering like an image in his mind every so often.

"Brightheart asked Brackenfur, one of our warriors who was free at the fly her to WindSide," Brambleclaw replied, without even looking at his son.

Leo felt a small, unknown pang that she was gone. Pushing thoughts of her aside, he asked, "What are the different Sides?"

Brambleclaw looked at him and pointed down a small slope. "I'll show you. Run ahead and see what you find, but be careful."

Leo's mind pricked with curiosity. Without another thought, he hurtled forwards, his shoes kicking up chunks of dirt as he raced through the trees. What was Brambleclaw talking about?

Suddenly he skidded to a halt, his black school-shoes almost splashing into a shallow width of water. Leo froze, looking up. In front of him, the water deepened, and stretched on all sides, curving into a wide, wide, murky grey lake. The banks were almost as far as the eyes could see. In front of him, the massive expanse of water glinted like a moon.

"So," Brambleclaw's voice startled him, and he spun round to face the man who called himself his father. "how do you like our lake?"

Leo paused, taking in the sight before him. "It's...awesome!" he breathed, adrenalin rushing through his limbs. He felt an ADHD attack coming on, which he strained to stop with effort as his pulse quickened.

Brambleclaw nodded. "The ThunderSide has been sending for lost demi-gods since our first leader, Thunder, founded it, many, many, years ago, in the medieval age. Life for people who found out that they had godly parents was hard back then, as is now. We sent our own recruits, and satyrs, to collect them, bring them here, and train them to survive."

Leo frowned, knitting his brows as he jumped up and down. "What's a satyr?" he asked, puzzled.

"It's one of those creatures who spoke to me. They're half-man, half-goat, and they're very eco."

 _Oh, that guy_ , thought Leo. Excitement fizzed in his veins. "What about the other Sides?"

Brambleclaw pointed to all the other three sides of the lake. "The other three Sides have been doing so as well, but with slightly different training methods. All learn melee combat, archery, climbing, crafting armour, and strategising. ThunderSide, however, boasts the best archers, and has extra climbing sessions. RiverSide over there," he nodded to the far bank, "train their demi-gods to swim, and use water combat. A lot of their demi-gods are children of Poseidon. WindSide-" - Leo at once thought of the strange girl Heatherpaw - "teach theirs some extra non-weapon combat, using only their fists, and running, and ShadowSide uses plenty of strategising lessons, and darkness training."

Leo attempted to drink that all in. So many Sides, so many lessons! He followed Brambleclaw upslope and into the woodland once more, glancing back one more time to the lake. "What about your weird names?" he blurted out before he could stop himself. His stomach growled loudly, and he licked his lips at the thought of food. When had he last eaten? Breakfast. Now...it was early afternoon.

"When a demi-god is born to us from two demi-god parents, we raise the here, with a natural name such as "Ivy", "Branch" or "Squirrel". Then, when they are six years old, they begin their training, and are appointed a warrior mentor. Then the suffix "-paw" is added to their name, in honour of the cats that ran in the first battle in the dawn of the Sides. On their twelfth birthday, they are given an Assessment in all their skills. If they pass, that night, they are made a warrior, and the suffix "-paw" is changed to another suffix. If they fail, they wait another month." Brambleclaw didn't even stop during his speech.

Leo's mind was muddled with wild ideas and perspectives seeping into the crevices. _Gods ruling on a mountain. Greek gods._ Had Brambleclaw, Firestar and the others gone mad? All the same, their life seemed very complex. That must be for a reason.

 _No_...his thoughts screamed as his mouth went dry. _Leo! You're believing it! If Holly were here, you'd get into mounds of trouble!_ His heart hammered in his chest and saw his veins bursting with uncontrolled energy. He still didn't understand. All the same, when Firestar had explained it...it had felt real, hadn't it? Jay had believed it. At least, he acted like he did. Even Holly had admitted to take a tour of the camp with Leafpool.

 _Please help me! I can't tell right from wrong...and truth from lies! I'll just have to embrace what I've been told with weariness, and hopefully find proof that it's true! But Brambleclaw...my father? That just feels...wrong! And that woman named Leafpool...I don't know her at all! This is crazy!_

"Don't worry."

Leo flinched as he felt Brambleclaw's heavy hand clasp around his shoulder. "I don't really get it," he admitted weakly, mumbling. "How can this be true?" _I don't know what to believe!_

"Every demi-god feels scared at first. It's just natural, Leo."

Leo felt himself being pulled into a world that wasn't his as Brambleclaw's words hardened before him like stone, sinking into his brain. His pulse quickened as his heart thudded in his ribs, and his breathing shallowed as he felt his soul collide into an unknown place. Brambleclaw's warm touched pulled him further backwards into an unknown world, wrapping him in vines that muffled his screams and that he couldn't escape from, no matter how hard he tried. His thoughts struggled, wrestling with the unknown. Fear edged his mind's panicked wails.

He couldn't keep this up for much longer. The lingering possibility of being suffocated into a strange new life deafened the blood roaring in his ears as his world collided brutally with another. He was pulled, pulled violently, by the imaginary vines that chained his limbs into a new, strange, desert-empty place, as dizzying possibilities and monsters came alive before his eyes. The life he knew faded as he was pulled further and further backwards from it. He thrashed in his captives, straining to stumble forward, struggling against the current that ripped his course to shreds. His head wailed with shrieks of lost voices. His heart was thumping louder than a pounding bulldozer, making his chest feel as if it was flooded with water and about to crack. Weariness edged his tired limbs.

He had nothing else to do.

He gave way to the force that strangled his bones, and slipped into the monstrous world of the Ancient Greek gods.

* * *

The sun was slinking fast against the vast horizon, hidden by the thick layer of trees in the forest. Up above, the sky turned blood red like the trickling wound of a weak child, staining the grounds pink and crimson. The woods were bright and alive with small scurrying creatures, trampling the tangled undergrowth clumsily, free in their own little unchained worlds to do whatever they liked. The lake was turned orange like a pool of honey as the scarlet sun sunk beneath the waves, melting into the rippling surface of the water. The lake glowed in perfect harmony, shining with the reflected sky. Amber flashed at Leo as he saw the reflection of the golden-stained clouds in the clear surface.

He was trudging back to camp, a heavy haul of chestnuts and hazelnuts in hand as Brambleclaw marched forward, carrying an even fuller basket with him. They had spent the whole afternoon roaming the forest grounds, Leo being showed everything, from the borders that lined the territory to the monuments at the heart, and then spent get time collecting nuts and learning about berries.

Leo remembered the hot afternoon sun burning into his back as he was shown WindSide, the fast, swift-paced Side that had its home on the moor across a small, rippling dappled stream. "Don't cross into another Side's territory," Brambleclaw warned sternly. "You'll be taken straight to their camp as hostage. You could even start a war."

Leo wondered why the Sides fought so much all the time. "You're all the same!" he had said. "You're all made up of demi-gods on a quest to safety!" All the same, he felt a little ashamed that his eyes couldn't help shining at the prospect of battle.

Brambleclaw's expression had darkened. "We must do so," he echoed like a robot. "Don't worry, no-one's died in years."

Even this didn't deter Leo.

Instead, a pale, flickering image of the girl Heatherpaw flashed into his mind. She had skin that was so white that it shone like a ghost's, like milky wax, glowing eerily. Her delicately-eyelashed eyes were closed, and he remembered her, more alive now, more vividly, lying on the rumbling train-tracks as the wavering, broken train hurtled by. Leo replayed himself throwing his body through the window, his skin meeting smashed glass, as he landed, sprawled, on the opposite train tracks by her body. He remembered a weak trail of blood trickling into her stained uniform, and another pouring other of her unconscious head. He saw her still face, weak and unalive, for one moment as he plummeted through the air, before crashing back down next to her and feeling the world black out as metal hit him.

Leo had shivered away from that memory. Then a creepy, tingling feeling crept up his spine. He had smashed through a window and landed on hard, uneven train-tracks. How was he alive? A scary sort of not-understanding gripped him strangely, as he realised the truth. The thought slid itself in his mind. How had he escaped with nothing but unconsciousness?

Maybe it was the ambrosia, he told himself. All the same, how had he lived until the sweet flavour was put in his mouth?

He had no time to ponder those questions as Brambleclaw whisked him away from the live scents of the moor and they trekked up to ten border with the normal world, Brambleclaw showing him the line that he could not pass. "It's too dangerous for a demi-god who knows so many secrets to go out into the real world," he informed.

Leo had gulped. Too dangerous? Now he knew he was a demi-god (or at least sort-of believed it), it was too dangerous for him to leave the territory? That was not a happy prospect to him.

Brambleclaw had also showed Leo the ShadowSide border, in a clearing where oak and ash melted to dark, looming pines. "Shadow is the fiercest Side," he warned threateningly. "Whatever you do, _do not_ go in there."

And with those jolly words, they plunged back into the bright forest, Leo learning about a special tree called the Sky Oak.

"How does ThunderSide get all it's money to run a camp with so many activities?" he had asked.

"With these," Brambleclaw had answered gruffly, producing two worn-out straw baskets from an old shack. "We collect nuts. Chestnuts and hazelnuts. We sell them. And berries. But only the blueberries, blackcurrants and raspberries. The others, we bring to Leafpool. They can be used for potions."

Leo had learnt that sweetfayre was a good berry, excellent for healing stomach pains, colds and sore throats, while goldenwheeze helped more fatal flus and coughs. Wesp was a weird-named leaf that grew magically in stalks, that healed bloody injuries very well when applied to Yoze, a harmless berry with no effect on its own. Nymphwish helped breathe underwater. Darkdock, flintscar and elmpool were dangerous, fatal if touched or eaten.

"Why am I learning the names of all these berries?" Leo had grumbled.

"You're right, that's an Oracle job," Brambleclaw replied, rolling his eyes. "You'll probably going to forget them all soon. But it's the job of us to teach the fatal berries, just so you don't eat them by accident. Just remember those ones."

They had then spent the rest of the afternoon collecting hazelnuts and chestnuts.

Now, Leo's mind replayed those memories as he trudged back to camp overladen with nuts and new knowledge. His once-polishes black school shoes were muddy and already worn out, and his Westechester Hills High uniform was so dirty that you couldn't tell that he wearing it for the first time today. His jumper was stained heavily with a swamp of crusty, dry brown blood from Heatherpaw, one sleeve's half had been ripped off. His blouse underneath had the collar torn away, and was rippe sto shreds and itching with dirt that made him jumpy. His tie had gone missing, and his trousers we slick with mud, dirt, twig and tree bark, splatters and small drops of blood dappling one leg.

As for his messy, curly brown hair...dirt, odd leaves and twigs poked out as strange angles everywhere, and his face was greased with dirt.

Holly would have a fit.

So he and Brambleclaw trudged through the forest, limp, barren and exhausted from the afternoon's work. It was already late by now, but they had almost reached camp.

Suddenly, Leo, who was looking behind him, bumped into something warm and about his height. Startled, he spun his head round to stare at a young girl with a surprised expression.

"S-sorry," she gasped backing away. Now Leo noticed that she was wearing a draped robe of green and brown, with scraggly twigs poking out of her sleeves, bare feet, and an open face with dark brown hair.

Leo had seen one of these before on camp, but that didn't stop his surprised expression. "What are-" he began, before the shy creature scurried off, skipping hurriedly into the trees. Leo was speechless as she ran to a dark elm and... _melted inside its bark._

"How on _earth_...?!" Leo spluttered, stepping backwards and eying the way that her skin morphed with the tree bark and she became one with the trunk, fading into its chipped brown depths.

"That was a tree nymph," explained Brambleclaw calmly, putting down his basket of nuts. "In fact, this one's name is Elmena. Most trees here have a spirit inside that comes out in the day. They'll be going back to their trees now."

In fact, Leo spotted another one skipping into view. She paused several steps away from him before blushing and shyly saying, "Hi, are you new?" before rushing into a chestnut tree in a copse and disapearing into it without an answer.

"They're very shy," Brambleclaw explained gently. "The same goes to naiads, the water nymphs you saw in the tree. Nutasha just there is normally very quiet. I'm surprised she even said something to you." Lifting his eyes from the tree that Nutasha had miraculously vanished into, he picked up his basket and continued to walk. Leo hastily followed after him.

A familiar rush of affection for his siblings pulsed itself into Leo's veins. At last, he could see Holly and Jay again! As much as his afternoon in the forest had brought him closer to Brambleclaw, he still felt a little nauseous and disbelieving at the thought that the gruff-looking man was his father.

Using the enegery that built up in his legs, Leo sprinted forwards into the tree-less camp, the breeze from the open air sweeping through his hair. He felt as light as a balloon after hours of being cooped up in a tight, enclosed forest. And he wanted to see his sister and brother again! Not bothering to stop his ADHD attack as he raced forward, bouncing up and down excitedly, he heard Brambleclaw spurt forwards after him.

"Wait!" his "father" called out, catching up to Leo just as he was about to hate over the small wooden-planked bridge. "I'll show you the way to the cabins, where your siblings surely are. But first," and at this he eyed the steady pile of chestnuts and hazelnuts grouped into ten pair of baskets, "we'll put these inside the collection point." He was looking towards a small wooden shake with a dark green flag on a white pole poking out of the roof, flapping wildly in the sunset wind.

"OK," Leo nodded excitedly, and edged closer, peering through the clouded dusty windows. He spotted a small and grumpy-looking satyr sitting at a desk by the wall, staring at the open pages of a book. Leo could it help flinching at the strange sight of his curled horns, furry legs and hooves.

Brambleclaw pushed open the shack's door with a loud, groanish creak, and set down his heavy bundle at the back of the small dimly-lot room, by the wall, where other baskets laden with forest goods were waiting. Leo hastily did the same.

"Hello Benny," Brambleclaw greeted the satyr, who hadn't even looked up from his book yet.

"Hi," grunted the satyr gruffly, still not lifting his eyes from the inked black-and-white pages.

"Hi," mumbled Leo in return, equally gruffly.

Brambleclaw coughed, as if attempting to grab Benny's attention. "We, err, went through the forest and picked up a good load," he hinted, trying to start a conversation.

Benny didn't say anything except for "I hate Collection Point duty," before snorting loudly, slumped on the desk, his gaze not leaving his book once.

Leo saw that Brambleclaw looked cross as he shuffled out of the shack, empty-handed, before loudly slamming ten door shut. " _Rude satyr_ ," he muttered, before looking at Leo. "Well done then!" he congratulated as his gaze brightened. "We collected a lot, and you learnt so much about the territory."

"Thanks," Leo nodded in excitement, thoughts of his siblings drifting over to his mind. He wondered how they'd be faring. Had Holly explored all of the camp? Had Jay settled the matter do being a warrior with Squirrelflight and Firestar?

"Where are the cabins?" he asked, forcing himself not to run forwards wildly.

Brambleclaw led the way all the way across camp to a cluttery arrangement of small buildings, each with different attributes. They were arranged in rows, four in a row with three rows in total.

The first cabin was shining brightly white like a star, the fanciest as it was raised on a small porch with glinting marble columns rising up protectively. The roof was glazed gold from the dying sun, and carvings of bolts of lightning or hated the outer walls. The others lay by or behind it, all painted different colours with different styles of architecture.

"Why are they all different?" Leo enquired, eying them all as he sled to the last row.

"We have twelve different cabins," Brambleclaw explained, "one for each Olympian god. If you are, for example, a child of Poseidon, you would sleep in the Poseidon cabin. If you have the blood of two gods in you, the brighter image in the Deciding will determine which cabin you sleep."

Leo was about to ask what the Deciding was when a sudden thought pierced his mind and he froze. He felt a sudden jolt of alarm as something dawned on him.

"But-" he stammered, unusually stumbling over his words. "If Jay, Holly and I don't know which god we half-are, which cabin are we supposed to sleep in?"

Brambleclaw still looked calm as he led Leo to the last cabin, a small wooden shack, painted in bright colours to look like a caravan. Jet-black paint marked the tyres on the wheels, with a white-and-red body, and real glass where the where should be.

"Don't worry," Brambleclaw nodded, reassuring Leo. "We have that covered. Every time a new demi-god joins us, they sleep in the Hermes cabin until their Deciding, since Hermes is the god of travelling."

The Hermes cabin didn't look fabulous to Leo, but he nodded politely anyway, thankful that Brambleclaw had been willing enough to sop end the afternoon teaching him. There was one cabin that had caught his eye, a dark red one with two floors and paintings of war hung on the outer walls. Fake boar head (or at least, Leo _hoped_ they were fake) lined the walls, the snouts pink and large, the eyes round with fury. Leo had to admit that the boar heads were a little creepy. But the crisis-crossed spears on golden plates looked really cool, and there were quoted words painted white on the walls, such as " _Crush 'em_!", " _Don't let others deter you!_ " and " _You can win this thing big time, baby!_ ". Impressive.

"Go on," Brambleclaw nudged. "Go in."

Then Leo's mind flashed through the smiling face of his siblings, and he wanted to see them more than ever. Energy seized his bones as he shouted "Thanks! to Brambleclaw, who was leaving, and he charged up the painted wooden steps to the front, and flung open the door.

And came face-to-face with a shrieking ghost.


End file.
